Staff Blog
Dressing Dangers
We all see you with your too tight pants, your huge bag, and your four inch heels. Sure, you're looking good, but looking good takes a toll, doesn't it? Here's the question: Are you doing any permanent damage or is temporary misery the price of fame? Oh, and guys, we see you, too; and we have no idea how you got into those jeans.
Your Pants
After a night on the town in painted-on pants, do you feel a tingling sensation? Not that kind of tingle. Get your mind out of the gutter. Pants that are too tight can cause a nerve problem called meralgia paresthetica. Basically, a nerve in your leg gets crushed for too long and causes tingling, numbness, and burning pain in the outer part of your thigh.
For the most part, if you wear looser pants the pain will go away. But if you find yourself tingling and burning for weeks, you might need surgery to decompress the nerve. It'll probably never get that bad but what if it did? It would be embarrassing to have to explain to your doctor that you're addicted to tight pants and you just can't quit.
Your Bag
Seriously, what do you have in there? Cell phone, iPod, water bottle, laptop, car keys, gym clothes, dog, cat, magazine, disinfectant, lunch, life raft, train schedule, breath mint, the list goes on and on. But what about your back, neck, and shoulders? And guys, messenger bags count, too.
Go put your bag on the scale. What does it weigh? Five pounds? Ten? I bet there are some 10's out there. If you have to lean forward or to one side to carry your bag, it's too heavy. You've got two choices: lighten your load or pull a wheeled suitcase.
Doesn't sound fashionable? Chronic back pain isn't fashionable, either. Four out of five Americans will go to the doctor or miss work due to lower back pain at least once in their lives. There's no reason it should happen to you while you're still in your 20's.
Your Shoes, Part 1 (Heels)
Have you seen the sidewalks in Philly? Walking around in high heels is an invitation for head trauma. Even if you avoid those pitfalls, high heels can be killers. How do any of the following sound: corns, calluses, hammertoes(!!!), arthritis, chronic knee pain, sprained ankles, and back problems.
What's worse is that two studies from Harvard researchers have linked high heels to osteoarthritis of the knee, one of the five leading causes of disability among older women. Long story short: if you want to be able to walk around without pain when you're older, lay off the high heels now.
Your Shoes, Part 2 (Flip Flops)
Summer's over so we won't be seeing your toes as much for a few months, but come spring, flip flops will be back. Ask yourself a question: were flip flops made to be worn all day, every day or were they made to be worn pool side and in that nasty gym shower?
Wearing shoes that don't offer any support (like flip flops) can lead to heel and arch pain and eventually to chronic conditions like plantar fasciitis. What is plantar fasciitis? It's stabbing pain in your heel every time you take a step in the morning. Oh, and those toe thongs can give you a nasty fungal infection.
Your Underwear
Thongs? None at all? Edible? The question remains is there any scientific evidence that the underwear you wear increases your risk for UTIs (urinary tract infections) or yeast infections? Not really. Cotton breathes better than nylon. Underwear that's too tight traps heat. Thongs fit close and get into places they shouldn't, but, as it stand right now there's not a lot of science to back up these claims. Use common sense. That's our advice.
And, guys, what about that old rumor about tight briefs lowering your sperm count? There may be some truth to it. The reason the testes are outside the body is because it's too hot inside to make sperm. If your underwear is too tight (and that goes for jeans, too) they can create too much heat and thus could lower your sperm count. That being said, the testes do a good job regulating their own temperature. When it's cold they like to be a bit closer to home and when it's hot, they tend to be out and about.
Keep looking good, people. Just be smart about it!
I’ve been worried about contracting swine flu at the gym.
When my friends and I go out I usually don’t wear anything higher than a flat boot. I completely missed that stage in life where a girl learns to walk in heels. By my second drink I’m usually sitting in the corner in pain. Now I have a new excuse not to wear high heels; ‘health reasons’.