Miley Cyrus has made it very clear over the years that she’s a total beast in the gym.
But the 31-year-old just revealed that she has an interesting footwear choice when she works out.
“My mantra is, like any athlete, ‘Practice how you perform,’” she told W Magazine in their newest cover story. “That’s why I practice in my heels. The gym looks really tough, but then I’ve got my ivory Gucci slingbacks because they remind me of Marilyn Monroe.”
Miley said that she “mostly” trains in heels. “I’m interested in feminizing the workout space, because so much of the workout equipment is ugly,” she said.
Miley said that working out in heels isn’t just about preparation: It also helps her get in her performing zone. “I definitely have a persona—an expanded, fully realized version of myself that I tap into as a performer,” she said. “But then there’s a level of my life that’s super intimate, sacred, and secret.”
But is exercising in heels OK? As you can probably guess, podiatrists don’t recommend trying this at home.
“In general, this is not healthy,” Richard H Graves, DPM, of Sol Foot & Ankle Centers in Longwood, California, told Women's Health. “The joints are not functioning in their normal alignment, and some muscles and tendons are stretched more and working harder than they should be.”
But this can do more than make your feet ache—it can also increase your risk of injury. “Wearing high heels puts you at greater risk of injuries on the ball of the foot and toes,” Graves explained. He lists off stress fractures, metatarsalgia (a painful condition that impacts the balls of the feet), hammertoes, and pinched nerves in the feet as possible issues.
