Love how heels lengthen your legs? Dress up your look? Give you calf muscles you didn’t know you had? Maybe. But wearing heels could be detrimental to your health.

If you think you’ll be the only gal in town sporting flats, think again. Victoria Beckham announced she will be hanging up her heels.

Yep, the former Spice Girl and fashion guru has declared she can no longer “do heels”, and will opt for flat shoes more often. Don’t believe it? Check out the footwear she chose for her NYFW show in February.

Sure, white sneakers are hot for spring. But VB in them at the Fall shows means this is serious.

So, are high heels really all that bad? A recent study shows that, over time, wearing heels can negatively affect muscles in the legs. Because the ankle is bent forward, calf muscles shorten in the back of the leg and lengthen in the front of the leg, which could weaken the muscles.

As we can see, sore feet aren’t the only detriment of wearing heels. Other possible problems? Knee and back pain, and spider veins.

Those die-hard high heel wearers can strengthen foot and leg muscles with exercises recommended in the study above. If you’d like to kick your stilettos to the back of the closet, here are some flat but still stylish options.

Sneakers are cuter than ever right now. ModCloth has a wide, and super cute, selection. And yes, you can wear tennis shoes with skirts.

It’s almost time for sandals. Yay! Take a look at these stunners by Aldo. Perfect with shorts, skirts, dresses, or pants.

A great gladiator screams summer music festivals. Grab this vegan pair at Free People.

Espadrilles are a summer classic. Try them in white or black vegan leather by Soludos.

No need to kill your feet or back for fashion. If Victoria Beckham is ditching her heels, so can we.

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

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Image of woman with high heels via Shutterstock

The post What Wearing Heels Really Does to Your Body (and Flat Options You’ll Love!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnSeven sustainable sneakers to live in this summer.

Sneakers are super trendy right now — something we should all be very excited about. Looking fashionable while speedwalking down the street? Oh yes. High fashion labels like Lanvin, Celine, Chanel and Balenciaga have all made versions of the humble sneaker. However, there are better options out there for us conscious fashionistas, made without sneaky materials or production methods. Here are seven of our favorite sustainable sneakers.

1. Blue Sneaker by OAT Shoes
This pair of sneakers by OAT Shoes, based in Amsterdam, isn’t just pretty, it’s also biodegradable and made entirely from sustainable materials. And, they also grow pretty flowers when you’re done with them. Just plant the shoes in the ground, and the embedded seeds will begin to sprout. This model is from the company’s inaugural line, the Virgin Collection.
€149, OAT Shoes

2. Bianca Sneaker from Jambu
Many of the high fashion house’s sneakers incorporate neon details. This ultra-light sneaker not only delivers bright color but also all day walkability and support, toe-bumpers to provide protection on uneven surfaces, a memory foam footbed which conforms to the unique contours of your feet and eco-friendly outsoles.
$89, Moo Shoes

3. Veja Volley
Made from organic cotton from the Northest of Brazil, wild Amazonian rubber and ecological leather, Veja‘s sneakers have set a standard for sustainable sneaker production. This model, The Volley, is inspired by a Brazilian trainer from the 1970s. It feels both retro and current at the same time, and would work as well paired with a minimalistic suit as they would with a cute summer dress.
€89, Veja

4. Jade Navy from MOVMT
Inspired by Isabel Marant’s groundbreaking style, this hidden sneaker wedge is a tasteful blend of irreverence and elegance. It sneakily adds two inches to your height, without sacrificing comfort or style. Made with organic cotton canvas, water-based glues, nickel-free eyelets and natural dyes, they’re as conscious as they’re fun.
$109.95, Moo Shoes

The post On Trend: 7 Sustainable (Not Sneaky) Sneakers appeared first on EcoSalon.

Infused with a snarky personality and advanced mobile technology, these talking sneakers could put your personal trainer out of a job.

Humans were built for exercise. We’ve got massive muscles, a strong skeleton, and a metabolism that just begs to be used. In our hunter-gatherer years, the daily struggle for survival was all the workout we needed, but decades of inventing for convenience has left us stationary and fat. Now, we run on treadmills and take high-intensity aerobics classes just to force ourselves to break a sweat.

Even in our sedentary world, opportunities for exercise are everywhere–it’s the motivation that’s lacking. We sign up for high price gym memberships and personal training sessions only to come up with lame excuses for why don’t show up.

Being lazy used to be a secret between us and the couch, but a new collaboration between Google and Adidas could guilt us into action.

During the recent SXSW festival in Austin, the two companies revealed a “talking shoe” concept that delivers a running critique of your activity levels. Spend too much time in the seated position, and the shoe is guaranteed to have something to say about it.

“Using an accelerometer, a gyroscope, Bluetooth and some other off the shelf technologies, the Talking Shoe translates the wearer’s movements into funny, motivating and timely commentary,” explains designer Zach Lieberman of YesYesNo. “The things it says can be posted to Google+ by the user, sent to real-time ad units, if the user chooses to, and broadcast via onboard speakers. It can talk to the world and to the web,” if the wearer so chooses.

Stay stationary too long, for instance, it will say things like, “This is super-boring” or “Quick, someone check my pulse”, reports Ecouterre. “It might even start offering suggestions, such as a run or a game of basketball. Start getting physical, however, and the shoe will change its tune, noting “That’s more like it,” or “I love the feel of the wind in my laces.”

It’s not hard to see that this humor-based technology could actually be effective. We use all kinds of tricks and apps to hold ourselves accountable to our own fitness goals. The problem with these technologies is that they require our input to be of use. If you skip a workout or fail to reach a goal, they do nothing. These shoes, however, would intrude on our inner excuse-making process, make us laugh, and hopefully, be the push we need to finally get up and move.

“By bringing the personalization and intelligence of the Web to everyday things, we can make them more useful and entertaining,” the designers say. These connected and smart objects are sharing relevant information with us, turning chores into games and making us healthier.”

Unlike the Google Glass, however, neither company has plans of bringing the show to market just yet. But I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else seized the utility of this idea, and ran with it. Literally.

Image: Art, Copy & Code

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