HAVE SUFFERED TO BECOME PRETTY

Ouch!! My feet hurt just looking at this girl.

High heels seem like an accident waiting to happen. Heels have been all the rage since the term "fashionable" was coined. It is true they look great - they lengthen the leg, they thin the ankle. They exaggerate the feminine form. But wearing those lovely 3 inch Manolos could be doing more damage than just crushing and bruising the toes.

If you think high heels are at the height of elegance, you might want to know what long term affects you'll suffer. Inflamed nerves and ligaments, shortened Achilles tendon and calf muscles, hammertoes, bunions, corns, ingrown toenails, and don't even get me started on posture.

Lifting your heels up to unnatural heights totally throws your balance out the door, and you compensate by adjusting your back, hips, and shoulders. In the long run, bad posture will cause terrible lower back pain, leg pains, and headaches.

What's worse? Wearing high heels may also be linked to knee osteoarthritis, a painful, degenerative joint disease characterized by the breakdown of the cartilage surrounding the knee, because when women wear heels, it puts repetitive pressure and stress on the knee joint. The thing is, it takes a while to feel the effects of knee osteoarthritis, but once you do, it's too late to undo the damage you've already done.

Fit's Tips: The best thing to do is to ditch those high heels and wear flats, or alternate every other day between heels and comfy shoes. Your feet, knees, hips and low back will love you for