Can High Tech Footwear Really Provide You With A Workout For Free?
If someone told you that you could tone up your legs and trim down your butt without having to go to the gym would you be interested? It sounds almost too good to be true – but consumers can now choose from a wide selection of shoes, from a variety of different manufacturers, which claim to be able to help you do just that. They come in a wide variety of styles and colors – a lot of them don’t look like exercise shoes at all and are extremely fashionable.
The general approach seems to be to mimic the feeling of walking barefoot on soft ground – like sand or lush grass for example. Most of these new high technology fitness shoes feature specially designed soles in order to achieve this. Use of the correct density of materials in the construction of the shoes also seems to be an important factor.
Masai Barefoot Technology Shoes (MBTs)
These are probably the forerunner of the current range of shoes on the market. Strictly speaking, they aren’t fitness shoes at all. They were developed by Karl Muller, a Swiss engineer. He was walking barefoot across a rice field in Korea when noticed that his back pain, a perennial problem for him, was considerably better than usual.
He did some research and was interested to learn that the Masai are well known for their good posture and have a very low incidence rate of lower back pain. He specifically designed the MBT range of shoes in such a way as to produce a rolling motion when your foot comes into contact with the ground. Users certainly seem happy with he benefits.
Fitflops Sandals, Boots And Shoes
The Fit flops range of fitness footwear was developed in the UK by ex-personal fitness trainer Marcia Kilgore. These also have a specially designed curved sole to produce the effect of walking on soft ground in bare feet and incorporates something termed “microwobbleboard” technology. Independent tests, carried out at London South Bank University and Salford University in the UK, has shown that the lower body muscles do more work when walking in Fitflops, in comparison with conventional shoes. Fitflops will, according to the company website, give you a workout while you walk. Just weatring them and walking around as normal will tone your lower body.
Of the various specially designed fitness footwear on the market, Fitflops are probably the least like exercise shoes. They have a wide selection of sandals available in a range of different styles and colors and have, in response to customer demand, introduced boots, slippers and clogs. Over and above the independent testing, wearers of Fitflops have anecdotally reported a wide variety of further benefits which are claimed to be available by wearing these shoes. Improved posture, reduced cellulite and reduced heel spur pain are amongst the various benefits cited. Standard flip flop type sandals can actually cause foot problems. However, the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) has approved Fitflops.
Skechers Shape Ups
Skechers Shape Ups shoes also incorporate a curved sole which uses specially selected materials in its construction. Again the idea is to reproduce the effect of walking barefoot on soft sand. Studies in the USA and Japan have concluded that wearing Shape Ups while you walk can provide a number of benefits to wearers.
Reeboks Easy Tones
Reeboks contribution to the latest trend in fitness shoes is the most recent addition to the market. Unlike the other shoes mentioned thus far, these do not incorporate a curved sole but use special balance pods filled with air which are built into the sole. These cause “natural instability” when you walk in them which makes your muscles work harder to try and regain balance.
Once again, a number of independent tests appear to support the assertion that the lower body muscles do extra work whilst walking in this type of shoe. There are also a large number of favourable reviews from the wearers of Easy Tones, on the company website (of course) and elsewhere.
Intuitively, it’s just about possible to imagine how shoes that reproduce the effect of walking in soft sand might make your muscles perform some additional work. It’s probably also reasonable to assume that, if you’re trying to regain your balance on a constant basis, then that might make your muscles work a little bit harder. It’s certainly a very nice idea – getting a free lower body workout just by walking about as you would be doing anyway. It might be worth a try. There is now such a wide selection of these miracle shoes on the market – at prices which are comparable to standard exercise shoes – that you could probably find a style that you like the next time you need a new pair of shoes anyway.
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