Toning shoes are the latest development in fitness 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 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, who wouldn’t want to get in shape just by walking about as normal? Can these shoes actually do what they claim to?
The precise mechanism varies from brand to brand – but a specially engineered sole seems to be the common thread. This introduces an element of instability whilst walking which activates muscles which might otherwise be unused in an attempt to regain balance. The consequence of this is that the wearers of toning shoes use more energy whilst walking than they would do if they were wearing traditional exercise footwear. According to the various manufacturers, this increased level of muscle activity has a number of different benefits including better posture, muscle toning, using more calories and assisting with weight loss.
There are now a variety of different manufacturers who produce 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 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 manage to achieve this barefoot walking effect by using a very thick, curved sole which provides 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 very similar technology 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 to have introduced the first “stylish” toning shoes. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what’s indisputable is that Skechers offer a massive choice of different toning shoes including exercise shoes, boots, sandals and Mary Janes.
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 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 also have a thick, specially shaped sole – though perhaps not quite so thick and chunky as MBTs and Skechers – which uses material of different densities in different sections of the sole. The end result is what Fitflops term the “microwobbleboard” effect. Small imbalance means that extra work is performed and the lower body gets a free workout.
The most recent entrant 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 imbalance introduced results in extra work as the muscles 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 actually work – or is it just a clever piece of marketing? It almost goes without saying that all of the different manufacturers have had independent clinical trials carried out – many of which seem to support their claims. However, some sceptics query the validity of some of these trials – citing small sample sizes as an area for concern. The fact that the trials, although carried out by independent bodies, were funded by the shoe manufacturers has also given rise to some doubts.
However, it’s clear that toning shoes have some benefits. The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) have, for example, granted their seal of approval to the Fitflops range of shoes. This shouldn’t be considered as an endorsement of Fitflops trimming and toning claims – but rather as confirmation that such shoes can reduce jarring and lower the stress on joints whilst walking. It’s interesting that, of the numerous positive user testimonials which can be found online, a high percentage of them relate to improved 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 were they to do nothing else, that’s still a big step in the right direction.
Learn how Fitflops exercise shoes can help to ramp up the effectiveness of your walking workout routine. Try using an Omron pedometer to monitor your progress and help you to stay motivated.