When the clocks go back, you can be certain that winter is on its way. It gets dark earlier every night and the weather gets a little cooler every day. It won’t be long before there’s snow on the ground. Looking on the bright side, it’s time to treat yourself to a new pair of winter boots.
Clearly there’s no shortage of styles to choose from. Fur boots and leather boots are perennial favorites. Even when it gets really wet and windy you can still be fashionable in a pair of brightly coloured Hunter boots – wellies with style. After all, if they’re good enough for royalty, then they’re always going to enjoy a certain cachet.
But why not ask for a little bit more from your winter boots this year? What if your new boots didn’t just look good but helped you to look good as well ?
Toning shoes are a relatively new concept on the market. Their special design lets you get a free lower body workout just by walking about as normal. A lot of the designs look like exercise shoes, quite naturally perhaps, but winter boots are now becoming available. They generally work by using a specially designed sole which encourages the lower body muscles to work a little bit harder.
Skechers Shape Ups and Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) Shoes both incorporate specially shaped soles which are intended to reproduce the feeling of walking upon soft sand. Reebok Easy Tones and Fit Flops sandals, on the other hand, feature soles which are intended to generate a slight imbalance when walking in them. The leg and butt muscles attempt to restore the body’s natural balance – doing a little extra work in the process.
You can see how the prospect of getting a lower body workout whilst walking around normally would be very attractive for many people. After a busy day at work – possibly with a commute at either end – running around after kids, or just doing general daily chores, it can be extremely difficult to find either the energy or the time to visit the gym. For busy modern women, toning shoes must seem like the ideal solution .
A number of independent tests seem to back up the claims of increased muscle activity as a result of wearing toning shoes. Neither is there any lack of extremely positive anecdotal user feedback available. However, there are those who question the claimed results. Some query the authenticity of the trials, based upon the fact that many of these have received funding from the big footwear manufacturers. Sample sizes are also frequently queried. Obviously, there are different sides to the argument. Nevertheless, if toning shoes do nothing more than encourage wearers to walk more often, then that’s a good thing in itself.
The latest range of FitFlops winter boots will keep you warm whilst staying fashionable. And when the wet weather arrives you can still be cool and trendy in a colorful pair of Hunter boots – the wellies that are worn by royalty!