Stamina and Practice in Heels

[mlroseplant]

I know that we've discussed this subject before, perhaps a number of times, but I'm bringing it up again for two reasons: 1) We might have some new folks here who have never thought about this before, and, more importantly, 2) I am a victim of not following my own advice.

I have said many times that in order to gain stamina in high heels, one must walk in them. A lot. To the point where you're on a first name basis with your cobbler because you're in there so often. Once you've achieved the ability to walk a couple of miles without thinking too much of it, then we can talk about standing. For many people, the thought of walking a couple of miles in heels just doesn't compute. To them, it's foolish talk, practically impossible, and if they were forced to do it, severe damage or at least severe temporary pain would occur. And they're right. It would.

I can now sort of understand this thinking, because it has happened to me. For a number of reasons, December was a non-heel-wearing month for me. I walked on December the 1st, and I walked on December the 31st, and that was pretty much it. Other than that, I wore heels to church for an hour a week, and that was pretty much that. I was a little bit disappointed that when I showed up to choir rehearsal in flat boots, nobody seemed to notice. That hasn't happened in years.

The point is, when I took my walk on December 31st, I could definitely feel it, even though I only walked a scant mile. So yeah, I can understand why somebody would be ready to get out of their 4 inch heels after an hour. That's me right now. Hopefully not me in a couple of weeks.

[Rockpup]

Yea, I've had my periods where I take a break from heels, then have to get my endurance back. Currently trying to give my 120mm heels a fair shot to see if I can get to where I can wear them in public. Right now they are still an at home shoe.

[SF]

There IS a learning curve, no doubt.  But after a while I can parade (as my wife calls i - ha ha) in my heels just fine. Like many things, wearing heels is a perishable skill.  I was just talking about this a few minutes with some folks at another site....   Some of the guys and gals said they can't wear heels, my suggestion, yes you can, it just takes practice.  Have fun....   sf

[Shyheels]

There are people who genuinely can’t or shouldn’t wear heels - my wife, for example, has foot problems and has enough trouble walking pain-free in flats. Heels, no way. Plenty of other people can but lack the passion or drive to master the art - it’s an acquired skill.

But as with most skills - physical or artistic - regular practice is required to maintain fluency. I remember reading a quote from a world famous violinist - “If I don’t practice for day, I know it. Three days and the critics know it. Five days and the world knows it.”

[Pierre1961]

Undoubtedly true. More than 3 days with no heels and then a few hours practice is needed. Stretching can reduce this problem. 
same about heel height. Some days in not more than 4 inches then 5 becomes difficult 

[Cali]

It's hard.  Pre-pandemic, I would be in heels from 8 to 16 hours a day, 4 to 7 days a week. However, working from home, its hard to keep my heels on.  If I wear my Steve Madden mules I tend to kick then off when I sit in my office and then walk around barefoot.  I haven't been getting the daily minimum time in high heels I need for my hip.  For this reason I will sometimes wear my knee highs around my house because I don't (can't easily) take them off. 

[Shyheels]

As someone who has worked from home for over25 years, once I started wearing boots and heels  I have just made them a part of the office dress code. But I take your point - it’s so easy to fall into the habit of barefoot informality. 

[SF]

To be good at anything takes practice....  And I practice in my heels a lot !!  smile...   sf

Edited January 3, 2023 by SF

[wood&metal]

I was doing well with the stamina part....that is, until I trashed my right foot getting down off a ladder last summer.  I thought I was at the last rung, and wasn't! 

I had a dinner to attend last night and wore cowboy boots, which was the first time I've worn anything other than sneakers since.
Not much walking or standing involved, and still those whopping 1.5" heels <insert sarcasm> were a bit much on my right foot, anyway..

I'll get back to it eventually.  At this point I am just happy to be back to getting my daily walks in, and making usually four miles (+ or - a bit), albeit, with a little pain.

[Cali]

Start with ankle lifts.

[mlroseplant]

On 1/4/2023 at 6:24 PM, wood&metal said:

I was doing well with the stamina part....that is, until I trashed my right foot getting down off a ladder last summer.  I thought I was at the last rung, and wasn't! 

I had a dinner to attend last night and wore cowboy boots, which was the first time I've worn anything other than sneakers since.
Not much walking or standing involved, and still those whopping 1.5" heels <insert sarcasm> were a bit much on my right foot, anyway..

I'll get back to it eventually.  At this point I am just happy to be back to getting my daily walks in, and making usually four miles (+ or - a bit), albeit, with a little pain.

I think we've all done that at one time or another. Usually, it only results in surprise, and saying, "Lucky I didn't get hurt!"

I have linked a video to an exercise that I do to strengthen my feet. I don't know if it will work in your situation, I did not really develop it for ankles, but it does work them. I came up with this technique to try and deal with the constant foot pain I used to have from my job, having to walk miles and miles every day on concrete in work boots. Anyway, I don't think it can do any harm, even if it isn't designed to do exactly what you need. It may take some time to get to the point where you can pick up the golf ball easily and hold it. It took me a rather long time to get there, but I feel it was worth the effort. Hopefully this link works. You Tube age restricted my video when I tried to upload it to there. Can you imagine?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gw9mnmywjb1g5yp/FootExerciseGolfBall.mov?dl=0

Edited January 7, 2023 by mlroseplant

[mlroseplant]

27 minutes ago, kneehighs said:

I asked ChatGPT to "type and educated response to this message" The message was your post copy and pasted into the Chat GPT prompt window. Here's what it responded:

 

That's very impressive. However, you can tell that I didn't write it! I also found it cute that it recommended consulting with a podiatrist as one of the options when experiencing high heel discomfort. I understand that there are podiatrists out there who are pro high heel, but their number is probably about the same as rotary dial telephones in use in 2023. But still, I'm thinking that this answer could not have been generated by a machine even just a few short years ago.

Further thought on the general subject:

By the way, I am on my way back to being in halfway decent high heel condition. I have seized the opportunity every time the wind hasn't been blowing too hard to take walks around the neighborhood. It comes back reasonably fast. My fingers still feel like little blocks of ice by the time I get back home, though.

[Shyheels]

That is indeed an interesting and impressive response - as you say it would not be representative of you, and it’s tone is rather formal, reading more like a press release that touches all the relevant (or expected) points on a subject of high heels. It could almost be an encyclopaedia entry 

[VirginHeels]

Chat GPT mentioning a Podiatrist. And with Melrose mentioning that some of them are pro or anti heels. Mine is in the middle. They encourage a healthy mix of both flats and heels. Even in men, for an inch or two for one day a week. Says it’s to keep sciatic pain at bay, back pain manageable and a few ailments. Wants no higher than 4 inches single sole and 6 inches platform. They have pole dancers who have less back pain than some football (soccer) they have. Plus the pole dancers have better core conditioning.

They want me to spend some time in heels every week. A day at least, going to no more than 3 or 4. All to do with my job and choice of exercise. They suggested that I also try to see if I can get into a pole fitness class if I can to get a core. They crack you open and get you fit from foot up.

[Cali]

My podiatrist (after laughing at my arches) wants me in 2.5 inches or higher heels to absorb the arch. She knows I wear 4 inchers all the time and is okay with it.

[Shyheels]

I have had back troubles - quite serious, requiring surgery, about twenty years ago - and definitely find that a three inch heel is very helpful. And comfortable - it shifts the centre of balance and relieves the strain on the lower back. I've not been to a podiatrist, just going on personal experience.

[mlroseplant]

I've been to a podiatrist twice, and unless something really bad happens, I doubt I will ever go to one again. Perhaps I've just had bad luck, but both times I left the appointment(s) deciding to take no action to fix my problems, or wound up finding solutions on my own. Then again, I've been relatively lucky. My feet are neither super attractive, nor are they super ugly. My arches are neither super high, nor are they flat. I can deal with everything from zero heel to somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 1/2". My walk is neither pronated nor supinated. I wear out shoe soles very evenly. No need to rotate my tires every 6,000. And, as I said before, ever since I developed the golf ball exercise, et al., my feet no longer hurt at the end of a long working day.

[Pierre1961]

I have been once and haven’t been impressed 

So probably the first and last time. 
 

I must add it was an “ in case of” appointment without any real problem 

[Shyheels]

I will be visiting a hospital podiatrist in the near future, thanks to an infected cyst in my big toe joint - no fun at all!

[VirginHeels]

I think I struck for the fences first time, my podiatrist is a good one. I have heard crazy stories from folk who have a bad one. They sorted a problem with a toenail, and prevented the same with others. Now pain free in that area.

However, my arches. That’s another thing, my bone and muscle structure and foot strength is another thing. My arch is normal on my left foot, it’s strength is okay. My right foot is high in arch but has a tendency to lurch forward a tad.

They suggested 2-3.25 inch Cuban or heels for “everyday” use. However have been told if I wish to push it for other heels I can go to 4 inch, even 105mm heels. Ideally for 3 days a week for 8 hours each time. Suggested a chunky heel, but has okayed it if I want to go thinner, alas a thin heel will reduce my time in them.

[pebblesf]

1 hour ago, Shyheels said:

I will be visiting a hospital podiatrist in the near future, thanks to an infected cyst in my big toe joint - no fun at all!

YIPES, that's gotta hurt

[Shyheels]

1 minute ago, pebblesf said:

YIPES, that's gotta hurt

Yup! Been on antibiotics which has helped a lot but this needs to go away entirely. Never had foot troubles before and don’t want any more!

[mlroseplant]

I am happy to report that after a month and a half of conscious effort to walk in heels more, I can now do my 2.2 mile (3.5 km) loop without really thinking about it. I probably won't do that one very often until spring, simply because it's often cold enough or windy enough that I don't want to walk more than a mile at a time. Last Sunday morning was an exception, with temperatures right around freezing with no wind. My average pace was pretty slow, at around 22:00 per mile, but I did have to be careful of the many patches of ice everywhere that came from the refreezing of the previous day's melting snow. Call me crazy, but I feel this need to keep the rubber side down. I don't get up nearly as fast as I used to.

[Shyheels]

Three miles an hour is no mean pace - it’s average walking speed for most people so in heels I’d say it’s quite good. I know what you mean about lippery conditions. I no longer go out for spins in my bike when the roads are covered with heavy frost. I don’t bounce the way I did a few decades ago.

[hiddenheels]

12 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

I am happy to report that after a month and a half of conscious effort to walk in heels more, I can now do my 2.2 mile (3.5 km) loop without really thinking about it. I probably won't do that one very often until spring, simply because it's often cold enough or windy enough that I don't want to walk more than a mile at a time. Last Sunday morning was an exception, with temperatures right around freezing with no wind. My average pace was pretty slow, at around 22:00 per mile, but I did have to be careful of the many patches of ice everywhere that came from the refreezing of the previous day's melting snow. Call me crazy, but I feel this need to keep the rubber side down. I don't get up nearly as fast as I used to.

Out of curiosity, what sort of shoes are these? Also, is this in a park or city-blocks? Just wondering so maybe there's something similar here that I could do.

[Rockpup]

Yea, I wore 4” wedge booties at an outlet mall yesterday, only issue was the  uneven pavers.

[mlroseplant]

21 hours ago, Shyheels said:

Three miles an hour is no mean pace - it’s average walking speed for most people so in heels I’d say it’s quite good. I know what you mean about lippery conditions. I no longer go out for spins in my bike when the roads are covered with heavy frost. I don’t bounce the way I did a few decades ago.

I am not one of those people who likes to walk super fast anyway. Four miles an hour, or 15 minutes a mile, is not pleasant for my short legs. If I need to go that fast, I'd rather just run. In four inch heels, for me a reasonable pace is right at or right under the 20 minute per mile mark. For mid-heels or flats, 17-18 is all right. 22 wasn't bad for the circumstances.

11 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Out of curiosity, what sort of shoes are these? Also, is this in a park or city-blocks? Just wondering so maybe there's something similar here that I could do.

On this particular occasion, I was wearing my Nine West "Sizzle" oxfords. This first picture is not a picture from that morning, but it depicts the outfit and the conditions very well.

As to where I walk, I simply walk around my neighborhood. I live in a small town (pop. 15,000) in the midwest U.S. The second photo shows a street close to my home. Our city requires the homeowner to maintain the sidewalks (or pavements, if you must), so most are in reasonably good shape, but there is just enough irregularity there to make things interesting. Add in a touch of snow or ice, and it can be really interesting. Good training for the real world!

[hiddenheels]

6 hours ago, mlroseplant said:

On this particular occasion, I was wearing my Nine West "Sizzle" oxfords. This first picture is not a picture from that morning, but it depicts the outfit and the conditions very well.

As to where I walk, I simply walk around my neighborhood. I live in a small town (pop. 15,000) in the midwest U.S. The second photo shows a street close to my home. Our city requires the homeowner to maintain the sidewalks (or pavements, if you must), so most are in reasonably good shape, but there is just enough irregularity there to make things interesting. Add in a touch of snow or ice, and it can be really interesting. Good training for the real world!

Cool! Should try that... Myself, I try to go to stores/malls, where some (~0? ) people do wear heels, just feels more "normal" to me. Anyway, do need to bring my stamina up. Thanks for the tips.

[mlroseplant]

17 hours ago, hiddenheels said:

Cool! Should try that... Myself, I try to go to stores/malls, where some (~0? ) people do wear heels, just feels more "normal" to me. Anyway, do need to bring my stamina up. Thanks for the tips.

I get it. Many members here advise to go to a very crowded place to begin one's heeling journey. I, being contrary (you really ought to give Iowa a try), didn't do it that way. I walked my neighborhood late at night or early in the morning until I found my feet. Many would say this is a very unsafe practice for a couple of reasons, but perhaps my particular situation negates those safety concerns.

In any case, I guarantee you I'm the only guy out there walking in heels. The only person out there. Outside of a few special places, churches, weddings, funerals, nightclubs, certain white collar employment, and yes, perhaps shopping malls, you'll pretty much be the only one. Kind of like Tigger.

[Shyheels]

A great analogy.

I have on rare occasions seen other guys in knee boots, but never with heels.