Be Healthy

If there was a way to tone your legs and trim your buttocks without setting foot in a gym would you be interested? It may be too good to be true – but there are now a whole range of shoes, from a number of different manufacturers, which claim to be able to help you do precisely that. They come in a range of colors and styles – some of them look nothing like exercise shoes at all and are very fashionable.

The common approach seems to be to replicate the sensation of walking barefoot on soft, yielding ground – like lush grass or sand for instance. Many of these latest high tech fitness shoes incorporate specially designed and shaped soles to achieve this. Selection of the right density of materials used in the construction of the shoes also seems to be important.

Masai Barefoot Technology Shoes (MBTs)

These are probably the forerunner of the current range of shoes on the market. They are not, strictly speaking, fitness shoes at all. They were developed by a Swiss engineer called Karl Muller. Whilst walking barefoot across a Korean rice field, he realised that his back pain, a long term problem for him, was very much better than usual.

He investigated a little further and, after some research, discovered that the Masai are well known for their good posture and have a much lower incidence rate of lower back pain than western societies. He designed the MBT range with a curved sole to produce a rolling gait and avoid jarring. Users certainly seem happy with he benefits.

Fitflops Sandals, Boots And Shoes

The Fitflops 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. Testing at London South Bank University and Salford University in the UK has shown that the lower body muscles are engaged for longer when walking in Fitflops, in comparison with standard shoes. Fitflops are, according to the company website, the sandal with the gym built in. Just weatring them and walking around as normal will tone your lower body.

Of the different specially designed exercise shoes available, Fitflops are probably the least like fitness footwear. Their range includes sandals in a wide selection of colors and styles and slippers, clogs and boots have now been introduced. Additional to the independent testing, anecdotal feedback from Fitflops wearers suggests that a wide variety of different benefits are available as a result of wearing these shoes. Reduced cellulite, better posture and less heel spur pain are amongst the various benefits attributed to these shoes. Conventional flip flop type sandals can actually be a source of significant foot problems. However, Fitflops are approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

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. They are a little different from the other offerings insofar as they do not use a curved sole but incorporate air filled balance pods built into the soles. These cause “natural instability” when you walk in them which makes your muscles work harder to try and regain balance.

Once again, various independent tests appear to back up the claims that lower body muscles do more work when wearing this type of shoe. There are also any number of rave reviews from actual users, both on the company website and in other locations.

On an intuitive level, it’s possible to imagine how the shoes that mimic walking in soft sand might stimulate your muscles to do some extra work. It’s also reasonable to assume that, if you’re constantly trying to regain your balance, then that might make your muscles do a little extra work. In any event, it’s certainly a tempting prospect – a free lower body workout just by walking around. It may well 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.