Excercises That Make High Heels Less Damaging

Holiday shindigs are one of winter's consolation prizes for the arctic weather, but when a pair of stilettos has you dragging your aching feet, each jovial gathering can seem interminable. Luckily, Vogue and physical well-being guru Yamuna Zake of the Yamuna company have come to the rescue of your aching soles with exercises that strengthen your foot arch. The thought of a foot workout may initially seem frivolous; after all, who will actually approach you at a holiday party and compliment you on your toned toes? But this exercise isn't to create a slim, elongated physique or shed holiday pounds; it's solely for you (pardon the pun).

Zake, Vogue's chosen expert, is a proponent of what Yamuna's website christens "BodySustainability," or what seems to be an overarching, practical approach to keeping the body fit and healthy without any kind of excruciating practices. Yamuna's site assures users that Zake is the ideal educator for such a fitness philosophy, explaining:

She lives her vision that a fully aligned body with all of its capacity for movement free and available is the most beautiful body possible.

Though yoga, Pilates, and other strengthening exercises are used to target particular areas of the body, the holiday season is a perfect time to master foot toning, which Zake also offers instruction in.

In her interview with Vogue, Zake offers a sneak peek into how she keeps her own feet in tip-top shape. Her first suggestion is both incredibly cost-effective and simple: roll your feet on a tennis ball. In addition to stretching the muscles and tendons in the foot, the exercise will also increase circulation and balance, advises Zake. The instructor also suggests stiletto-wearing women try Foot Wakers, which look like miniature, spike-covered BOSU balls for your feet and provide a more targeted but similarly effective stretching workout to the tennis ball. Zake cites equally distributed weight on the feet as one major tip to keeping feet fit, a practice which is made somewhat more difficult by heels, hence the need for after-hours attention.

Thankfully, Zake's guidance comes just in time for the holiday party circuit, so instead of doddering around ungracefully, you can glide. After all, if Sandra Bullock's character in Miss Congeniality can do it, so can you.

Images: darkbird/Fotolia; Giphy