Yoga Moves For Women Who Won’t Give Up High Heels
Frequent high heel wearers can use yoga to prevent damage and restore health. (Photo: Getty)
If suffering is optional, then why do so many women choose to wear sky high heels? True they temporarily lengthen your legs and lift your butt, but in the long run they do a lot of damage to your body. While heels give you a boost in height- and even confidence, according to David S Feldman, MD, Chief of Spine and Hip Reconstruction at the Paley Institute, it might not be worth it. “The adverse effects of wearing high heels has been demonstrated in several studies. What is less known is that wearing them regularly may also cause knee pain and possible arthritis of the knee joint. When wearing heels, you need to keep your knees bent, hips flexed and lower back hyperextended to walk, and this puts a strain on all of these areas.” Wearing shoes with a heel two inches or higher pushes the toes into the unnatural shape of the shoe and causes your back to bear more weight. Forcing your body into this unnatural position has also been linked to inflamed nerves, long-term joint problems, ingrown toenails and bunions.
Not convinced to drop those red soled head turners from your shoe closet? Luckily damage control is possible. According to Dr. Feldman, “Don’t wear the highest of heels, and limit their use to short intervals and distances.” And because wearing heels can eventually shorten the muscles in your calves and of the Achilles tendon, the American Physical Therapy Association recommends that you specifically strengthen and stretch these areas to prevent injury. Here’s how you can use yoga poses work to do damage control:
Improve your posture
The first pose most yogis learn is mountain pose, with the feet as the foundation. Standing in a straight, upright position and pressing down all four corners of your feet creates balance and stability. So when you are elevated into a pair of heels, this posture will help you distribute your weight more evenly than just sinking into the balls of your feet. Moving up the body in the alignment of mountain pose we’re taught to bring the tailbone into a neutral position toward the ground, this will help get rid of the over-arching in the low back that happens with heels.
Stretch and strengthen your calves
Traipsing around in heels puts your calf muscles in a shortened position, which can mean weakened muscles when the heels come off. Remember to stretch after wearing heels in order to give those muscles relief. Try Mountain pose raises: On the floor or preferably on a step, balance on the toes of one foot, and cross the other foot behind your ankle. Raise your entire body up and down, trying to reach full range of motion in each direction. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
Downward Dog can stretch your Achilles to prevent damage from high heels. (Photo: Danielle Diamond)
Stretch your Achilles tendon
Switching constantly from heels to flats can cause an inflammation of the Achilles tendon, which attaches your calf muscle to the heel, and may lead to Achilles Tendonitis. Downward Dog, a classic yoga pose will stretch it out. Start in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists. Engage your core, and keeping the distance between your hands and feet. Isometrically push your hands forward into the mat as you push your hips back toward the wall behind you. Keep your ears in line with your elbows and gaze between your toes or toward your navel. Press your thighs back, without locking your knees, as you move your heels toward the floor. Lower your knees if you get lightheaded.
Chair pose is a quad and back strengthener. (Photo: Danielle Diamond)
Strengthen your quads
Begin by standing with your feet hip distance apart. Bend your knees until you’re almost sitting, then stand up. (Caution: Do not let your knees pass your toes.) On the way down, push your butt back far as you can and lean slightly forward with your upper body. Do two sets of 20 repetitions.
Restore your equilibrium with Warrior III. (Photo: Danielle Diamond)
Improve your balance and strengthen your core
The lift you get from wearing heels also challenges your body’s sense of equilibrium, which can mean an imbalance in the muscles holding you up from all that teetering. This can lead to more pressure on your lower back, but balancing poses strengthen your core and help to hold you steady; Warrior III can help. Start by pressing all four corners of your right foot down, toes facing forward. Hinge forward at the hips, lift your left leg into the air behind you and engage your core to bring your ankle in line with your knee, hip and shoulders as much as possible. Align your hips horizontally; palms face up next to the hips.
This spinal twist can loosen up the tension heels put in your back. (Photo: Danielle Diamond)
Relieve back pain
Spinal twist pose “spirals” your spine and stretches out tight lower back muscles. Starting in a seated position with your legs extended, bring your right foot to the outside of your left thigh. Bend your left knee and bring your left heel to the outside of your right hip. Bring your right hand to the floor behind you, placing it outside the right hip. Take a deep breath in and raise the left hand. As you exhale begin to twist to your right; the navel twists first, then the rib cage, then the shoulder girdle. Bring the left tricep to the outside of your bent right leg and go into a deeper twist.
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