Why Many Women Have Small Calf Muscles

Modern society has made a lot of changes to our bodies. One of them that's hard not to notice is that it's made many people fat. The other is that what we wear actually has changed our bodies a bit. Have you ever wondered why many women have small calf muscles? Yes, women have a tendency to have less developed calves, but it's not because of a predisposition to this. It's simply because of wearing high-heeled shoes.

Based on scientific research by anthropologist Erik Trinkhaus of the Washington University in St. Louis, it's been found out that high heels contribute to less use of the calf muscles, as compared to when wearing flat shoes, which allow women to shift their weight from the rear to the front of their feet while walking. High heels keep the weight concentrated towards the toes, keeping the calves relaxed. Doing calf raises everyday should help compensate for the lack of calf activity while wearing heels.

Trinkhaus also found a time in human history when the toe bones began to shrink. He found a link between this and the first time people began wearing shoes, which began about 40,000 years ago. Pictured above is a preserved sole from an archaeological dump in France which yielded shoe remnants between the 13th and 18th centuries. At left is a visual summary on how wearing heels can result in physical changes to the body.



Care for a high-heeled shoe puzzle, instead?
Artist Andy Warhol made artwork out of high-heeled shoe images. If you don't want to wear high heels, why not just have fun with this fine artwork on high heels of the modern artist made into a puzzle! Just click here to check out the details or to order!

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