An international sensation began in 2009 with the release of Skechers Shape Ups – toning shoes became a fad that still has no end in sight. There have been similar products before, but Skechers Shape Ups caused a stir, making them the most popular in the category. Practically every other company that manufactures athletic shoes has released a toning shoe line since then – and there are new speciality companies that have cropped up and garnered huge success (like the popular Fit Flops).
The basic concept is that toning shoes help your body and overall health if you wear them on a daily basis. With a generally thicker sole, sometimes a curve, and insoles designed to contour and provide added cushioning to your foot, they are quite distinctive.
Even though the trend towards this kind of footwear is pretty recent, the first example of foot apparel to help you firm up was Earth Shoes, back in the seventies. They were the first to use what they termed Negative Heel Technology – a sole that made you feel like you were walking in sand, improved posture and activated additional muscle groups than regular footwear. Thirty-odd years later, the technology has resurfaced – with state of the art improvements.
Today’s firming footwear sport three kinds of soles: rocker bottom soles, which are built to improve spinal alignment, minimize pressure and stimulate a natural gait; curved soles, designed to give lateral instability, and; the collapsible heel, which simulates walking in sand. Rocker bottom soles come in three additional varieties – flexible, semi-ridged and ridged.
The posture-improving ridged rocker bottom soles are used for walking only. Jogging is allowed on the semi-ridged rocker bottom soles. Walking, running, cross-training and jogging are all suitable activities for the aptly-named flexible rocker bottom soles. Collapsible heel soles are meant exclusively for walking. Curved soles are good for walking and jogging, but you should be careful using them for activities that involve lateral movement, given that they are designed to add lateral instability. Every toning shoe sports either one of these soles or a combination.
There is a big range of brands and styles of firming footwear – from the ever-popular Skechers Shape Ups to the slyly casual-looking Fit Flops. Skechers Shape Ups were found to be used by one in four athletic-footwear-wearing American women in a study released in May 2010 – easily making them the most favored choice.
What attracts most people to this kind of footwear appears to be the concept of enhancing everyday activities that they already do – no extra time needed, whether you run five miles a day or just do laps to your office coffee machine.
So if you want to firm up, improve your posture, reduce stress on your joints, improve circulation, relieve back pain, activate dormant muscle groups, improve your walking gait, or all of the above, go get a pair of toning shoes.
Check out the latest Skechers toning shoes. If you’re expecting wet weather you can still be chic and cool in a pair of Hunter boots – as worn by royalty!