Would you give up your sexy heels if research says high heels are bad for your health? Not only do the right heels look good when paired with the right outfit, the three or four extra inches give me a vantage point I don't naturally have. I don't know what I'd do without my heels to elevate my not-so-tall frame.
Sure we all know the immediate perils of walking in high heels. Hello, twisted ankle. But a study found that women who wore high heels faced the risk of shortening the fibers in their calf muscles. Australian researchers, whose study appears in The Journal of Applied Physiology, recruited women who wore high heels for at least 2 years and kept them for 40 hours a week to come up with their findings.
Some of what they found makes sense: it takes more effort to walk in high heels and you don't travel as far in the same time it takes a woman wearing flats. Did you think about how having your feet perpetually flexed can damage your feet or change how you naturally walk? You literally engage a whole set of different muscles in high heels.
The researchers also found that switching into flats or sneakers was also a risky move for a habitual heel-wearer because they've muscles and tendons out of place.
That might explain why I was having trouble when I went running.
These days I opt for flats, unless I absolutely need to wear heels. I haven't given up heels entirely. I still covet Christian Louboutin shoes —everything from their design to the red soles. But, one thing's for sure: You'll never find me running in Kelly Ripa's High Heel-a-thon.
Considering the risk of wearing high heels, would you give yours up? How do you make sure your feet are in good shape?
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