Tips for Happy Feet

High heels have been around for centuries and they're not going to go away. So here are some tips about wearing them that will keep your feet happy.

Tip 1: a 2 inch heel or less is less problematic than a 4 inch heel. A thinner heel will give you the appearance of height.

Tip 2: Wear heels when you're not going to be on your feet for extended periods of time, like a sit down dinner or a concert. If you're going dancing, wear flats.

Tip 3: Make sure that the toe box is big enough for your toes. You can always have it stretched to give you more room.

Tip 4: While we're talking about room, let's talk about size. Heels should be a size larger than what you wear in a flat - this will help give your foot more space for movement. Use inserts to help fit the shoe to your foot.

Tip 5: Opened toed shoes give your toes more room to move, so they are often more comfortable.

Take care of your feet. They have to carry you around the rest of your life!

Foot Care

Respect your feet, you will expect them to carry you for many, many years. Too often in the early part of our life we tend to ignore taking care of our feet. When I was young my mother would take me to the shoe store every fall before school started and buy me a new pair of saddle shoes. I hated them. They weren't the fashion statement that I thought I should be making. I thank my mother now, because I know how smart she was to get me good support for my feet during those growing years. She also taught me as I got older to continue to buy good supportive shoes. Spend a little extra money but get good support in your shoes.

While I do have a few hammertoes from wearing high heels, they aren't too bad. I don't have any calluses or corns and those are definitely things you want to avoid. I can't tell you how many times I looked at the bottom a diabetic's foot and found a hole through a callus up into the foot. Sometimes with infection not only in the foot but in the bone. This often necessitates the amputation of the foot. Now if you are not diabetic, it doesn't mean you don't have to worry. Many individuals as they age develop peripheral neuropathy. The nerves in the feet begin to grow numb and the individual has difficulty really feeling how they're walking. With this disease, you won't feel any pain necessarily and you can have a major problem on the bottom of your foot without really knowing it.