Walk Confidently In Heels

The quinceanera, of course, is the ultimate excuse for young girls to give a show of their first ever seductive strut on sexy high heels. The transition won't be easy but with dogged practice, young girls can glide with poise across the ballroom like a dream - a confident princess in a dreamy swath of gorgeous silk and lace, ready to welcome her "muneca pasada" or last baby doll.

Preparing for those High Heels

One of the biggest mistakes girls make when "changing heels" is breaking into stilettos real fast. The whole new experience startles the body and the balancing act of walking straight on unaccustomed heel height forces the toes to grip the insides of the toe box for support and the effort punishes the poor back and girly ego.

The higher the heels, the more strain is placed on your feet and back. To prevent injury, choose pumps or 1.5 inched heels to adjust your feet to carry your weight on a high heel level. The switch is not easy as it sounds but there are feet-and-back friendly ways to conquer the heights.

These tried and tested tips have helped "neophytes" overcome their fear of high heels. Oh don't rush and expect you'll be a ramp model in 30 minutes. You'll have to practice walking on those high heels every day until you are confident you can walk on different surfaces; do graceful turns, and climb those stairs fearlessly. Don't count in the Sahara dunes, just the friendly neighborhood basketball court for surface walking practice.

1. Stand erect. In front of a mirror, practice standing straight with chin out like those models you see on TV and glossies. The mirror is a good gauge and won't lie about you how you look on heels and how graceful or gauche your turns or steps are. You might feel wobbly on your knees. That's expected because it's your first time to don heels. To make it easier on your feet, start the walk by putting your heels down followed by the soles -- do this quickly with little steps.

2. Watch those knees. You'll notice your toes gripping for support as you take you walk; just keep on going and watch out for your knees! These may be going ahead of your feet. The awkward position of your knees is your body's effort to steady itself on unfamiliar heights and your hysterical fear of falling flat on your face; but you'll be able to figure this out when you master the walk.

3. Don't just walk straight ahead. Turn around corners, climb stairs, walk sideways and backwards to adjust to the changes in gait. It's a whole lot different from walking on flat shoes so you need to know how it is like when doing all those side steps and back steps on high heels. Since you're going to do a lot of dancing, sound out the high heels to Beyonce's beat.

4. Walk on different surfaces. Walk on tiled floors and carpets and if the garage flooring is as rough as the basketball court, try the catwalk there. You'll be amazed at the effort your toes and your feet go through to brace themselves so swing your arms to help them along and balance your gait.

5. Keep those legs straight when walking. If you have been watching a lot of fashion shows, you have eyed those models placing one foot before the other in a straight thin line. This is a challenging balancing act and if you cannot keep up with the rigors, just make sure you place one foot ahead of the other; this will be easy later on with constant practice so don't worry.

With all these tips, you're ready for the big leap. Just don't forget to prep your feet before each practice session; stretch your feet and exercise your ankles by moving them in circular motions - clockwise and counter clockwise. After each session, massage your feet, after all, they have been punished enough.

By the way, it's best to buy your practice high heels during late afternoons when your feet are at their largest and choose one that fits perfectly like second skin. With good fitting shoes, you can practice all you want.

When your quinceanera comes along, you are the perfect doll walking and dancing confidently in your first glamorous high heels. You're no longer a little girl but a young woman licensed now to wear more exciting and sexier spikes. Pity the other girls dying to have their quinceaneras too.