Comfortable Footwear for Fashion and Fitness ?
In the last couple of years, there has been a new category introduced in the footwear industry… Toning Shoes.
People are saying that these shoes are the greatest thing in fitness shoes since fitness gear first hit the market. The manufacturers of these shoes say that you can tone your legs and glutes without having to go to the gym. Supposedly, these shoes will strengthen your core, help you lose weight, and burn calories fast, all by going about your normal day-to-day activities. The shoes are available as sneakers or sandals.
In the 1970s, Earth Shoes started making footwear with what they called negative heels, which could be called the first tone-up foowear. However, it wasn’t until the last few years that toning shoes really gained popularity. The whole theory behind these shoes is that the rounded sole mimics walking on sand or some other naturally unstable surface. The idea is to force your body to walk more naturally, rolling from heel to toe. The manufacturers say that normal shoes are actually bad for your body because they force you to stand in an unnatural way. Using these new shoes should supposedly force you to stand with better posture. Because the shoes cause your body to feel unstable, it makes your body work harder. That is what causes your muscles to work harder, get more toned, and burn more calories. The claim is that they will also reduce joint pain and muscle aches, while strengthening muscles all they way up to the neck. Some shoes even claim to cure headaches.
Do They Work ??
Despite anecdotal evidence, there is no definitive scientific proof that toning shoes actually work. However, thousands of people swear by them. They say that their muscles feel stronger and look better than they did before they started wearing the toning shoes. People with arthritis, fibromyalgia, back problems, and plantar fasciitis have all said that they have had signigicant reduction in pain or symptoms, or their ailments are even completely cured by using some of these shoes. These claims have not been substantiated, but there are many positive reviews that all say the same things.
If you want to buy some toning shoes, you have several choices in brands. These include MBT shoes, Earth shoes, Skechers and Reebok. The prices range from under $100 to about $300, depending on what brand you buy. When you do buy these shoes, there are 3 sole types to choose from:
- Rocker bottom style: these are ridged and promoted as causing you to naturally improve your posture. However, you can’t wear these shoes for anything other than walking.
- Curved sole: these are designed to give you lateral instability. These shoes are good for walking or running.
- Collapsible heel: these make you feel like you are walking in sand. Like the rocker bottom, you should only wear these for walking.
All toning shoes have at least one of these technologies.
What all this boils down to is that while there is no definitive proof that these shoes work, there is also no proof that they don’t work. Thousands of people have worn these shoes and have had really great results, to the point of saying that their toning shoes are the most comfortable shoes that they have ever worn. Do be aware that some people report that they have had problems with increased pain from them. If you do decide to get toning shoes, you shouldn’t just jump head-first into wearing them all day long. You do need to break the shoes in and take it slowly until you get used to them.
Do they work? Will they work for you? The only way to answer that for sure is to buy a pair for yourself and try them out.
