From the time we start reading fashion magazines (usually late in primary school), we are taught that beauty has a 'price'. To be fair, our mothers are diligently trying to teach us that 'beauty comes from within' ... but we persist in listening more to the authors of teen magazines than our parents, of course! When we grow up, we tend to accept that the price of looking awesome in a hot pair of high heels is a horrible backache at the end of the night and having a limp for the rest of the weekend. It doesn't have to be so! Today we look at how heel lovers can indulge their passion, but still care for their bodies. 

Keep heel wear to a minimum 

Unfortunately, this is an essential tip … there's no technique to get around the fact that our bodies aren't designed to wear high heeled shoes. Wear flats to work (who cares what you look like in front of the boss?), and save your ultra-hot heels for the weekends. 

Use heavily padded insoles 

These are mostly for preventing pain in the bottom of the foot that you'll inevitably experience when you wear 6 inch or higher heels. The physical padding in your metatarsal area can not only help with foot pain, though, but back and leg pain. You'll subconsciously shift your weight to very strange angles when your feet start hurting, and that can really kill your spine. The bigger the better, when it comes to padding. 

Ensure your shoes fit properly 

This is always a given when you are buying shoes, but is even more important for that delicious pair of 7-inch red high heels! You can still buy high heels online - simply measure your foot in length and width (while you are standing up straight), and ask for the dimensions of the shoe that you are buying from an online store. You need a snug fit to stop your foot from sliding around in the high heeled shoe and causing even more pain. 

Alternate your heel heights from day to day 

Switching from a three-inch heel to a five-inch heel to a six-inch heel from day to day can ensure that you don't consistently stress the same parts of your feet, legs and back. You can wear designer high heels more often than you might otherwise expect if you just use this little trick!   

Choose thicker heels 

Having a wedge heel or simply a chunkier-style heel on your designer shoes means that you don't have to place your foot as precisely when you are walking, and you therefore have a greater range of motion. It also distributes the weight more evenly over your foot, and reduces heel pain. Your balance will be better, and therefore your back will feel fresher at the end of the day. 

Choose heels with a lower slope 

If you wear a size 5 shoe, a six-inch heel is going to have a lot more impact on your relatively short foot than it would on the much longer feet of a woman that wears size 9. Don't shop for designer shoes on heel height alone - you also need to look at the 'slope' of the heel from front to back. This will help relieve pain in the ball of the foot as well as in the arch, and will definitely help referred pain in the legs and back. 

Wear open-toed shoes occasionally 

If you tend to get corns and calluses, wear open-toed shoes sometimes. This will allow air circulation as well as relieving the physical pressure on them. Make up for your heel habits by setting a uniform of fuzzy slipper-thongs for home wear! 

We are so often told that we just shouldn’t wear high heel shoes … a little like Nancy Reagan telling us to 'Just Say No', when all you wanted was to know what beer tastes like! There are so many techniques that can help you enjoy your high heels without wrecking your body in the process … so you can delight in your shoes more often!