WOMEN in BUSINESS - April/May 2009 - (Page 27) St yle Walk side high wRiT Ten bY MiMi KOpUlOS Ta ake The Stiletto Workout: Exercising in high heels helps avoid injury on the hoof. on the Some women are pros when it comes to mastering high heels. Others, well, at least it isn’t far to fall. if you were to ask me who invented the black-and-white saddle oxford, off the top of my head, my answer would be a nun. Growing up, i attended a Roman Catholic grade school and high school. For years i whined to my mother about wearing those Goodyear-welted soles to school each day. “why can’t i wear high heels like the girls in public school?,” i would ask. “one day, your feet will thank me,” she said. eventually, i graduated from wearing corrective-style shoes to wearing stylish high heels. in the beginning, i took baby steps and wore three-inch heels. Then designer jeans became longer, heels grew taller, and so did i. Heel Mark tips · Practice · Walk slower and take smaller steps · Stand erect, shoulders back, and tuck in tummy · Get a pair of Dr. Scholl’s massaging gel insoles i went from being 5’6” to pro-basketball height when i tried on a pair of leopardprint stilettos. standing in front of the mirror in nordstrom, i felt empowered, sexy, and wished i’d worn makeup that day. “oh my god! Your legs look amazing!” said michael, the shoe salesman, applauding. my legs appeared long and lean, and my calves looked like they were ready to fight. some women are pros when it comes to walking in high heels. my oldest daughter could run a marathon in stilettos. For me, jumping from three-inch heels to six-inch heels was like walking a tightrope with no net. The only good thing: i didn’t have too far to fall. Recently, while watching ABC Evening News, i saw a group of women sidestepping in stiletto heels. At first i thought they were auditioning for Dancing With the Stars. As it turned out, these women were working out in their high heels. Twice a week, Rosalind neilen, a certified fitness instructor, teaches a 30-minute high-heel workout class at martin Downs sports Resort in Palm City, Fla. in a phone interview, neilen had some words of high-heel inspiration for me and others attempting to take a walk on the high side. “Don’t give up. nothing beats a great pair of legs in high heels,” neilen says. neilen developed the stiletto workout in october 2008 because she wanted to guard women against injury. “Learning the correct way to walk in heels helps develop strong leg muscles and relieves pressure off the balls of your feet. in turn, this supports the body and strengthens the core.” The first 10 minutes of neilen’s class, women learn how to master the art of walking in high heels. neilen instructs women to stand erect, hold their shoulders back, tuck in their tummies. Then she has them walk slowly around the room, step from side to side, and even dance. “it’s different than throwing on a pair of sneakers. wearing high heels takes practice,” neilen says. “women are more body conscious wearing high heels—they fix their hair and put on makeup.” The last 20 minutes of class, women remove their high heels, change into their sneakers, and do intense repetitive squats and lunges. A p r / M Ay 2 0 0 9 w o m e n i n b us i n e s s 27
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