Swedish blonde bombshell Victoria Silvstedt has a figure most would die for -- both women and men. But staying slim is all in the job for the 34-year-old supermodel and Playboy pin-up -- she credits her tiny waist to wearing heels all day.

"How I stay in shape? 12 hours a day in heels," she recently told reporters, adding, "I'm, literally moving all day long in heels. When I'm not working I do go to the gym and do my cardio but nothing beats the high-heel workout!"

Really? That's all it takes? I should have traded my flats for stillettos years ago. Except heels apparently ruin your back. Um, maybe comfy shoes and a regular cardio workout don't sound so bad after all.

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Few things can make you feel sexier than donning a fabulous pair of heels. But if you practically live in stilettos, here's a good reason to take a break from all that height: Heels can cause major problems in your feet, legs and back. In fact, you could end up like the British Apprentice contestant Claire Young, who says that heels ruined her spine and left in with pain so severe that she missed the final of the show.

It started as a nagging pain that she ignored, but the TV reality star eventually did so much damage to her spine that she couldn't get out of bed for weeks. In her own words: 'I've suffered too much to go back to my high heels again - I wear them only on special occasions. I had always joked that my shoes had killer heels, but believe me, I've learned to my cost the real meaning of the term.'

My advice? Stick to flats, and save the heels for rare dressy occasions. And when you do wear heels, wear them well.

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They look good, there's no doubt about that. A nice pair of high heels completes an outfit and they make your calves look awesome. But, besides leaving you a bit shaky on your feet, wearing heels frequently can lead to some not-so-sexy issues:

• Wearing heels forces your knee, hips, and spine into an unnatural position and take them out of alignment.
• Calf muscles may shorten and tighten.
• The narrow toe-box and unbalanced pressure on toes can lead to Morton's neuroma, a nerve disorder that can cause pain and/or numbness.
• The Achilles tendon can tighten.
• Tight-fitting shoes can cause bunions.
• Narrow toe-boxes can result in hammertoes.
• Prolonged use of high heels can result in pain on the ball of your foot (metatarsalgia).
• Improper balance puts you at risk of ankle injuries.
• Rigid straps/backs can cause a bumpy protrusion on the heel called Haglund's deformity.

If you wear high heels a lot, you may want to consider giving your feet a break from time to time. You may feel hot in your heels, but nobody thinks hammertoes are sexy.

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Italian researchers have concluded that wearing high heels makes for a better sex life, but not for the reasons you're probably thinking. Although high heels are undoubtedly considered sexy, according to the research the sexual benefit doesn't come from attracting more men but instead from developing the right muscles. Wearing high heels tones leg and strengthens pelvic muscles, or in their words "directly works the pleasure muscles linked to orgasm."

Hmm, I'm generally more of a sneakers and flip-flops kinda girl and I have to wonder -- is the benefit a big enough deal to outweigh the negative of sore aching feet?


Via Shiny Shiny

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Whenever we write about high heels and how treacherous they can be on your feet and joints, we always have several readers who comment that -- pain or no pain -- they'll never give up their heels. Fair enough. After all, we all have our vices, and there are worse things to love than shoes. But if you're going to wear them, at least try to minimize the damage with these 5 tips from WebMD:

• Go for the best fit. Make sure there's plenty of room for your feet, but not so much that your toes slide forward leaving too much room at your heel.
• Invest in inserts, or better yet silicone metatarsal pads to cushion the ball of your foot.
• Wear a thicker heel and alternate heel heights on different days.
• Look for a gradually sloping heel.
• Choose open-toe shoes to take the pressure off your toes (and corns and callouses).

So there you go. Go out and wear those sassy new shoes ... just don't tell your podiatrist we said so.

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Correct me if I'm wrong, women of the world, but I get the impression that, while high-heeled shoes may help you look good, they're not helping you get anywhere fast.

Apparently, however, this isn't always the case. In fact, in Eastern Europe, they've made a sport out of running races in stilettos.

In St. Petersberg, Moscow and Berlin, ladies wearing shoes with a minimum heel of 9cm (3.5 in) competed with one another for thousands of dollars in prize money.

Seems crazy to me, and looks like a good way to break an ankle. But it's also yet another reminder that, no matter what your interests, you can find a way to get active and stay fit in a way that's fun for you.

To see a video of these ladies in action, check out this YouTube clip.

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There are all kinds of jobs in the world, and all kinds of work attire and dress codes. If you're into health and fitness then you've probably been trying to make some adjustments at work, like eating healthier lunches or managing a workout routine around your hectic job responsibilities. But something you may not have thought about is the effect your shoes can have on your health, maybe in more ways than you realized. Estimates are as high as $2 million each year for surgery related to footwear, and the majority of that figure is for women.

Although any shoe that doesn't fit correctly can wreak havoc on your joints, posture, and muscles, high heels are the biggest culprit. In today's world high heels are almost a requirement in some jobs, and although I think they're horribly uncomfortable I admit I do have several pairs in my closet because they just look so darn good. But fashion comes with a price in the form of foot pain, foot deformities, knee pain and arthritis, changes in back posture, and impaired balance.

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