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When it comes to taking care of your feet, scrubbing them clean and getting regular pedis aren’t the only essentials anymore. Now, for healthy feet we have to be more aware of the shoes we’re wearing, namely flip flops.

Are High Heels Bad For Your Health?

As it turns out, our favorite summer staple might be doing more damage than good, our friends at ecouterre report. Besides the lack of arch support and limited shock absorption, they also change the way we walk.

“Because we tend to grip the flimsy shoe bed with our toes to keep them in place, we can cause undue strain to calf muscles or pinch a nerve in our hips and back, according to orthopedic doctors at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City,” ecouterre wrote.

Their best tips for keeping flip flops posture-friendly? Don’t walk long distances or play sports in them. Toss them out after a year of use (note: very good reason to shop!) and make sure they fit–no toes hanging over the edge.

Reducing the amount of time we wear flip-flops will also help our pedicure last longer and our feet stay clean. And we thought stilettos were our greatest vice!