The latest development in fitness footwear is toning shoes – and they are proving very popular. Which isn’t any great surprise – after all, who wouldn’t like to get a free lower body workout just by pulling on a different pair of shoes? There is a variety of different brands available on the market. The majority of them work on the basis of introducing a very small degree of instability whilst walking in them.

It doesn’t sound like a very clever idea – but the theory is that the wearer’s muscles will naturally respond to the instability by attempting to regain balance, and thereby doing extra work. The extra work performed by the lower body muscles has a toning effect on your legs and butt and is more effective than normal walking in conventional shoes. You get a lower body workout with no need to make a trip to the gym – and with no expensive monthly membership fees.

Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoes were the first to appear. Strictly speaking they weren’t originally classed as toning shoes. They were targeted at people who wanted to relieve lower back pain, reduce stress on joints and improve posture. They use a specially engineered curved sole which encourages a gentle rolling motion whenever your foot comes into contact with the ground. This is intended to replicate the sensation of walking on soft sand in your bare feet. The sole is fairly thick and chunky and will not be to everyone’s taste. They aren’t cheap – but if they helped your back pain, toned up your lower body, or both, you might well consider them to be value for money.

Skechers Shape Ups shoes also make use of a thick, curved sole – which makes use of a special kinetic foam insert – to reproduce the sensation of walking barefoot on soft sand. These are also quite chunky and look a lot more like conventional exercise shoes than the Masai Barefoot Technology range.

Fit Flops sandals, clogs and shoes were originally developed in the UK and are now being sold worldwide. Although they look nothing like conventional fitness footwear they deliver exactly the same benefits as other toning shoes – again by using a special sole which is thicker than a standard flip flop and which promotes a small degree of instability whilst walking. They are quite a bit cheaper than the other toning shoes on the market and – equally important – there’s a huge range of different styles and colors available. They originally started life as a range of sandals – but slippers, clogs and boots were added to the range based upon customer feedback.

Reebok recently launched its own range of toning shoes – Reebok Easy Tones. This is slightly different from the other toning shoes insofar as it uses air pods built into the sole of the shoe to create instability rather than a specially shaped sole.

All of the manufacturers mentioned above have independent clinical test results which support their assertions that their shoes help to tone up your lower body just by walking around. Neither is there any shortage of very positive customer testimonials. Obviously there are those who treat the claims with some scepticism.

It’s a very attractive proposition – just put on a different pair of shoes before you leave the house in the morning and tone your lower body just by walking around as you would be doing anyway. Maybe it’s too good to be true? Quite possibly it doesn’t matter that very much. Some of these shoes cost no more than traditional exercise shoes – some are even a little cheaper. Why not just try a pair the next time you need a new pair of shoes anyway. If the only improvement that toning shoes provide is to encourage the wearer to walk more often, then that’s a worthwhile benefit in itself.

 

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