What Gives Your Body its Shape?

Lets talk about our body shape. The body's skeleton is covered with muscles. What purposes do the bones serve? Why are there many layers of muscles? How are the muscles attached to bones? Can you locate hinge joints? Ball-and-socket joints?

A completed building presents a very different appearance after athe steel framework is hidden by brick, concrete, glass, and other materials of construction. In similar manner, the outlines of the human skeleton, bony and angular as it is, are rounded and softened by the flesh that covers it. Flesh is made primarily of muscles and fat with networks of blood vessels and nerves.

The muscles cover the bones. Muscles are bundles of elastic fibers arranged in regular order in layers over the entire body. Some muscles are fastened directly to bones, others are attached by tendons. Tendons are very though bands or cords made of the extensions of the connective tissue which covers and holds together the individual muscle cells. You can see and feel the tendon in the heel and the tendons in the back of the hand.

Someone with a well-developed muscular system has a physique that is well proportioned and flesh that is firm. Such a body is desired by everyone. Heredity largely determines the shape and size of our skeleton, but we can do a great deal about its muscular covering.

Fat softens the outline of the body. There are small deposits of fat cells among the muscle fibers. These serve as storehouses of energy and are necessary. Larger pads of fat, called adipose tissue, cushions organs. Near the surface of the body this tissue acts as insulation to prevent loss of heat. It is desirable to have a small amount of this padding, but too much adipose tissue interferes with efficient muscular actions and increase weight. When the muscular structure of the body is hidden by layers of fat the natural outline is lost.

The relative amounts of muscle and fat on the body are controlled by the kind and quantitiy of food eaten and the amount of exercise. If the right amounts of a variety of foods are eaten and there is sufficient exercise everyday, the body will have normal proportions. It is not thin and angular; nor is it heavy and shapeless.

Shoes and Comfort

As everybody may knows, shoes should be shaped so that toes may lie in natural position. Muscles of our body (including foot muscles) need exercises and free circulation of blood to bring them food and to carry away waste products of fatigue. Shoes, worn to protect the feet, must allow for this exercise and should not interfere with circulation.

If we take a look, the toes of an infant are spread apart and move almost as freely as the fingers. However, many adults have lost the normal shape and flexibility of the toes because they were crowded into narrow, pointed shoes while the bones still were partly cartilage. Some people wear shoes that are so tight that they impair circulation, and the muscles are held together compactly that exercise is almost impossible.

Improper shoes are one of the causes of most foot troubles; so careful consideration should be given to their selection. We see in shops, shoe sizes are not standardized among all manufacturers, so each pair of new shoes should be fitted before customer buy them. Experts recommend that the end of the shoes should be one-half to three-quarters of an inch beyond the toes to allow room for their extension as the arch ‘gives’ in stepping. Some shoe departments have a fluoroscope (a type of X-ray machine) with which the position of bones of the foot inside the shoes can be seen. This is helpful in detemining whether there is room within the shoe for toes to lie in natural position.

Pressure of tight shoes causes the skin to thicken over an irritated area with gradual formation of a corn or callus. This usually will disappear if properly fitted shoes are worn. On the other hand, if shoes are too large there is danger of rubbing on the skin, causing a blister.

What about heels? Anatomically, varying the heights of heels changes the relative position of bones in the feet. Broad, low heels, such as those on men’s shoes and women’s sport shoes give a firm foundation when we walk, work everyday, and for sports use. High and narrow heels look well with evening dresses and are appropriate, because a girl is on the balls of her feet and toes while dancing. As a matter of fact, such heels for ordinary wear tend to throw the body forward. The resulting strain on muscles and joints to maintain balance causes the person to tire quickly. However, some people tends to put more importance on their look than their comfort or health.