‘Heel Hop’ promises sexy workout in stilettos
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Exercise in high heels? Believe it or not, it’s a workout called “Heel Hop.”
Sexy seems to be the selling point for the class for those wanting to feel confident strutting in stilettos.
Dancer and choreographer Kamilah Barrett leads the high-heel workout in studios around Los Angeles.
“The key component to Heel Hop is core strengthening, as it is the back bone to the workout,” Barrett said of her creation. “With a strong core, you get better posture, you get a better spine alignment.”
But is working out in heels the right thing? Chiropractor Nick Campos says yes.
“With balance and gait, the core, the glutes or the buttock muscles, the legs, all these need to be strong, and they need to have stability, and so our feet and our ankles are our stability, so strengthening those areas is really going to give us good posture, it make us look good and prevent injuries,” Campos said.
Not everyone agrees high heels are a good choice. Dr. Akash Bajaj sees feet with bunions and neuromas due to high heels, and the pain doesn’t stop there.
“It’s a very unnatural position to have your heel above your toes. In essence, we’re pushing your entire body weight forward,” Bajaj said. “You’re creating a ton of pressure directly through that heel to the ankle to the calf to the Achilles tendon, straight through to the spine.”
“A 3-inch heel can actually place up to 76 percent more pressure on the front of the foot,” Bajaj said.
While most foot specialists prefer nothing higher than a half inch or inch, an American Podiatric Medical Association survey finds 42 percent of women say they’d choose fashion over fit, wearing shoes they liked even if they weren’t comfortable. Yet, 73 percent say they’ve paid the price for those choices and they already have a shoe-related foot issue.
