Toning shoes are the latest development in fitness shoes. These shoes claim that they can improve posture, minimize shock whilst walking and that they will trim and tone your lower body if you wear them whilst walking around as normal. Slogans like “A Workout while you walk” (Fitflops) and “Get in shape without setting foot in the gym” (Skechers) abound. It’s no great surprise that these toning shoes are a rapidly growing sector of the exercise footwear market. After all, getting in shape just by walking around as normal is bound to appeal to a great many people? But do they actually work?

The exact mechanism is different from one brand to another – but a specially designed sole seems to be a recurring theme. This produces an element of instability whilst walking which triggers muscles which might otherwise be unused in an effort to regain balance. The upshot of this is that the wearers of toning shoes use more energy whilst walking than they would do if they were wearing standard fitness footwear. This higher level of muscle activity, according to the various manufacturers, has numerous benefits including improved posture, muscle toning, burning more calories and helping with weight loss.

Numerous manufacturers now market their own ranges of toning shoes. Fitflops sandals, Skechers Shape Ups Shoes, Reebok Easy Tones and Masai Barefoot Technology are perhaps the best known and most popular.

Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoes were the first toning shoes on the market. They are based on reproducing the barefoot walking style of Africa’s Masai tribesmen (hence the name) who are famous for their good posture and who have a lower than normal incidence of back pain. They manage to achieve this barefoot walking effect by using a very thick, curved sole which provides an uneven walking platform. MBT say that the curved sole encourages a gentle rolling motion when your foot comes into contact with the ground, which lowers impact shocks 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. In any event, beauty is in the eye of the beholder – but what is undeniable is that Skechers offer a huge choice of different styles of toning shoes.

Fit Flops sandals were developed in the UK by Marcia Kilgore – an ex-personal fitness trainer who simply couldn’t find the time to visit the gym due to her busy schedule. Fitflops originally started life as a range of brightly coloured sandals, but the range was increased to include clogs, slippers and boots due to customer demand. Fitflops feature a specially designed thick sole – albeit not quite as thick and chunky as MBTs and Skechers – which uses material of different densities in different areas of the sole. The end result is what Fitflops term the “microwobbleboard” effect. Slight imbalance result sin extra work and a lower body workout.

The latest addition to the toning shoes market is Reebok Easy Tones. These differ a little from the shoes discussed earlier in that they use special air pods in the sole of the shoe rather than a curved sole. Once again, the imbalance produced means that the muscles will perform additional work as they try to regain balance. Wearers will, according to Reebok, perform 11% extra work with their calves hamstrings and 28% more work with their buttock muscles than they would do whilst walking in normal fitness shoes.

So, do toning shoes really work or is it just too good to be true? It goes without saying that all of the manufacturers have had independent clinical trials performed on their toning shoes – and these appear to support their claims. However, some sceptics query the validity of some of these trials – citing small sample sizes as an area for concern. Whilst the trials may have been conducted by independent bodies, the fact that they were financed by the shoe manufacturers also raises questions for some analysts.

However, there’s not much doubt that toning shoes have some benefits. For example, the Fitflops range of shoes has received a seal of approval from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). This shouldn’t be misinterpreted as being an endorsement of Fitflops toning and trimming claims – but rather as confirmation that such shoes can reduce 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 benefit which toning shoes certainly deliver is to encourage their wearers to walk more than they normally would. Even if that’s all they did, that would be a very positive step in the right direction.

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