The hottest new trend in body shaping is the “toning shoe”. Popular since the summer of 2009 toning shoes were introduced to the public by Sketchers with the Sketchers Shape Ups. Product marketing claim wearers can improve their posture, burn more calories and tone core muscle groups just by walking in the shoes, making gyms obsolete.
Although the design of toning shoes varies across brands, most are similar with a thicker sole, heavier shoe weight and a curved bottom. This distinctive design creates instability while walking requiring muscles activity to work 30 to 40% more than walking in non-toning shoes.
History
During the 1970s, Earth Shoes introduced a negative heel shoe called Negative Heel Technology. This created the sensation of walking in sand. The outcome resulted in improved posture and increased muscle activity. The strides made with Earth Shoes gave rise to the next generation of toning shoes 20 years later.
Research
Even though recent research has not been able to prove or disprove the benefits of toning shoes, this hasn’t stopped their rise in popularity. The overall belief is that toning shoes are highly effective for people of all ages.
Types of Toning Shoes
There are three types of soles for toning shoes: rocker bottom, curved sole and collapsible heel. The rocker bottom sole is designed to promote a more natural walking style, reduce pressure and improve spine alignment. These shoes limit to use for just walking. The curved sole creates lateral instability requiring additional muscle activity from the walker. These shoes can be used for walking or jogging. Any activity which requires lateral movement should be avoided. The collapsible heel is designed to simulate walking in sand and is limited to only walking.
Brands
SpringBoost toning shoes have a collapsible heel that sits lower than the ball of the foot. This forces the leg muscles to work harder on every step giving the impression of walking further and faster. SpringBoost shoes run about $140.
Sketchers Shape-Ups are designed to help burn calories, improve posture and tone muscles in the back, legs and abdomen areas. These bulky shoes are several inches thick in the sole. With a slightly curved bottom, the shoes create a rocking motion to simulate walking on soft sand. The Sketchers Shape-Ups run about $110 per pair.
Reebok Easy Tone has a comfortable rounded bottom which makes the walker lean slightly forward changing the walker’s center of gravity. The overall effect allows the glute and thigh muscle to work harder. Easy Tone shoes are the least expensive at $109.00 per pair.
Ryn toning shoes have a 45 degree rocker sole which is steeper than many other toning shoes. This allows for a more stable gait. For walkers who overpronate (foot rolls in too much) this can produce aches and injuries. These shoes retail at $244.95.
MBT Foras features a curved sole designed for a natural rolling motion of the foot for even weight distribution allowing more muscle contracts for the core muscle group. These shoes weigh 17 ounces and are the most expensive at $250.00 a pair.
The NGR shoe is a 2 in 1 shoe. The shoes look just like standard cross training sneakers and come equipped with weighted and non-weighted midsoles. The weighted toning shoe is designed to turn every walk into a leg workout burning up to 50% more calories while toning. The weighted insoles add approximately 1.5 to 2 pounds more per shoe depending on the size. These shoes retail for $135.99.
Earth Shoes carry a full line of toning sandals, flip-flops and sneakers. The Exer-Flip and Exer-Slide (both retails for $59.00) have a 3.7 degree incline to help strengthen and lone legs, thighs and glutes.
FitFlop footwear offers a full line of toning shoes to tone leg muscles while walking. Designed to boost leg and glute muscle activity by 30%, the FitFlop shoes offer a Microwobbleboard to increase muscle activity in every step.
Selecting the proper toning shoe is a personal decision based on activity level, body weight, prior injuries and comfort. Make sure to try on different models to find a shoe that immediately feels supportive and comfortable that you can walk in without pain.
Sources
- NGRFit.Com, Accessed 04/11/2011
- MBT Shoes Online, Accessed 04/11/2011
- Reebok, Accessed 04/11/2011
- Sketchers Shape-Ups, Accessed 04/11/2011
- Ryn Footwear, Accessed 04/11/2011
- FitFlop, Accessed 04/11/2011
- Earth Shoes, Accessed 04/11/2011
- SpringBoost, Accessed 04/11/2011
Karren Bennett - Karren Bennett is a Texan at heart who loves to write. In addition to writing about anything and everything, she dabbles in fitness, ...
