6 Tricks for Doing Pretty Much Anything in High Heels

No matter your opinion on Beyoncé, there's one thing you can't deny: The woman can do pretty much anything in heels. Dance. Run. Jump. Walk. Strut. Go to basketball games. Even casually carry her child up a yacht ramp. We would not be surprised to learn that she might even sleep in her stilettos.

In a nod to Beyoncé's incomparable high-heel skills, the editors over at Huffington Post Style interviewed a professional backup dancer (who once auditioned for Queen Bey!) to get some tricks on how to do more—way more—than just teetering along in your stilettos. Keep scrolling to learn from her wisdom!

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1. Stretch your feet before you put heels on.
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This goes for whether you're just walking to your car or doing a full-on stiletto exercise class: Stretching your feet will help prevent soreness the day after wearing heels, and makes you more limber and flexible while you're wearing them.

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2. Take a dance class.
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"One of my dance teachers, who also choreographs for Beyoncé, told me to take ballet so I could get better at dancing in heels," dancer Linda Kuo tells HuffPost Style. "The right way to wear heels is very much like doing ballet. Which is not a coincidence at all because ballet was done in heels back in the French courts."

Dancing will improve your balance, strengthen your legs, and increase your flexibility—all good qualities to have for heel-wearing.

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3. Constantly check on your posture.
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If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Posture is key to walking in heels. 

"When you pull up from your center," Kuo says, "there's less pressure on your knees." Imagine a string lifting the top of your head directly up toward the ceiling as you walk.

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4. Lead with your hips.
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When you lead with your hips (instead of your chest or your feet), your weight tends to be more evenly distributed, and your posture is better too. It also forces you to engage your thigh muscles and takes the pressure out of your knees.

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5. Always use your core.
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The most important key to doing anything in heels, from walking to dancing: engaging your core. It straightens your posture, pulls your stomach in, and helps you maintain balance to get rid of those pesky wobbles in stilettos.

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6. Relax your face.
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You might be surprised to learn that no matter how amazing your heels are, most people will look immediately at your face when you enter a room. And many people, unbeknownst to them, hold tension in their facial expressions. 

"You can walk as fiercely as possible," Kuo tells HuffPost. "But people might look at your face and think you have to go to the bathroom."

Well, that's never a good look. Keep a mind's eye on your face as you walk about in heels; even if your feet hurt, you feel uncomfortable, or you have no idea what you're doing, put on a face like you do. Fake it 'til you make it, as they say.

What do you think of these tricks for doing anything in heels? Sound off in the comments below!

Meghan Blalock
Managing Editor

Hailing from the heart of the South and cutting her teeth on the mean streets of New York, Meghan has six years of experience covering fashion, style, celebrities, culture, and human behavior. A longtime devotee of rap music, tacos, and generally perfect weather, she is excited to put down roots in Los Angeles. Her top three style staples are a good pair of cutoff shorts, virtually any kind of colorful digi-print, and a solid set of shades.