The latest development in fitness footwear is toning shoes. These shoes promise to improve posture, reduce shock whilst walking and to tone and trim your lower body if you walk around as normal whilst wearing them. Slogans such as "Get in shape without setting foot in the gym" (Skechers) and "A workout while you walk" (Fitflops) abound. It's hardly surprising that these toning shoes are now one of the fastest growing market segments. After all, getting in shape just by walking around as normal is bound to appeal to a great many people? But do they really do what they say?
The exact mechanism varies across the different brands on the market - but the common theme seems to be a specially designed sole. This produces an element of instability whilst walking which triggers muscles which might otherwise be unused in an effort to regain balance. The result of this is that the wearers of toning shoes expend more energy whilst walking than they would do if they were wearing conventional exercise shoes. The various manufacturers say that this increased level of muscle activity has a variety of different benefits which include better posture, toning of muscles, using more calories and assisting with weight loss.
There are now a number of different manufacturers who produce toning shoes. Fitflops sandals, Skechers Shape Ups Shoes, Reebok Easy Tones and Masai Barefoot Technology are probably the best known and most popular.
Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoes could, with some justification, claim to have been first on the market. They are based on replicating the barefoot walking gait of Africa's Masai tribesmen (hence the name) who are known for their good posture and who have a low incidence of back pain. They achieve this barefoot walking sensation by using a chunky, curved sole which creates an uneven walking platform. According to MBT, the curved sole promotes a gentle rolling motion when your heel hits the ground and reduces jarring impacts whilst walking. It also encourages wearers to use their leg muscles for longer than when walking in conventional fitness footwear.
Skechers Shape Ups use a technology which seems to be very similar to MBT shoes. They use a chunky, thick, curved sole which incorporates a special kinetic foam wedge, to mimic the sensation of walking barefoot over soft sand. Skechers claim, with a slightly less than subtle sideswipe at the chunky appearance of MBT shoes, to have introduced the first "stylish" toning shoes. Whether that's true or not is probably very much a matter of personal taste - but there's no denying that Skechers offer a huge selection of different styles of toning shoes.
Fit Flops sandals were developed in the UK by Marcia Kilgore - an ex-personal fitness trainer who didn't have time to get to the gym due to her busy lifestyle. Fitflops began life as a range of brightly coloured flip flop type sandals and the range was extended, due to customer demand, to include clogs, slippers and boots. Fitflops also incorporate a thick, specially curved sole - although it's not quite as thick and chunky as Skechers and MBTs - which utilises materials of different densities in different parts of the sole. This results in what Fitflops refer to as the "microwobbleboard" effect. Slight imbalance leads to extra work and a toning workout for the lower body.
The newest addition to the toning shoes market is Reebok Easy Tones. These differ a little from the shoes previously discussed insofar as they use special air pods in the sole of the shoe as opposed to a curved sole. Once again, the muscles in the lower body carry out extra work as they try to regain balance. Reebok say that wearers will perform 11% additional work with their hamstrings and calves and 28% extra work with their buttock muscles than they would do if they were walking in normal fitness shoes.
So, do toning shoes actually work or is it just a smart piece of marketing? Needless to say, all of the manufacturers listed above have commissioned independent clinical trials - and these seem to back up their claims. However, some sceptics query the validity of some of these trials - citing small sample sizes as an area for concern. The simple fact that the trials, whilst they may have been performed by independent bodies, were funded by the shoe manufacturers is another cause for concern.
However, the fact that toning shoes have some benefits seems clear. Fitflops, for example, have received a seal of approval from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). This shouldn't be taken to be an endorsement of Fitflops claims regarding trimming and toning - but as confirmation that such shoes can lower impact jarring and reduce the stress on joints whilst walking. It's interesting to note that, of the many positive user testimonials available online, many of them make reference to better posture and reduced joint pain.
One very significant benefit which toning shoes definitely deliver is to encourage their wearers to increase the amount of walking that they do. Even if that was all they did, it would still be a very positive thing in itself.
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Cast your eye over Shape Up shoes toning shoes. There's a wide selection of sandals, clogs, slippers, boots and sneakers which will give you a workout while you walk. It's a very good way to boost the effectiveness of your walking for weight loss routine.
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