Does The Most Recent Fitness Footwear Development Deliver On Its Promises
January 6th, 2011 by Philip Foster, under Uncategorized. No Comments
One of the most recent developments in the athletic footwear market has been toning shoes and, based upon the reaction to them, toning shoes look to be one of those products which people either love or hate, with no middle ground being obvious. The general theory is that – by the use of a specially designed sole – they encourage the muscles in your lower body to do a little more work than normal when you walk around whilst wearing them.
There are a variety of different designs, but the common theme seems to be that they introduce a small amount of imbalance when you’re walking. The muscles in your butt and legs attempt to regain the body’s natural balance, with the result being that they perform a little bit of extra work.
Shaped soles – like Skechers Shape Ups and MBT shoes are intended to reproduce the mechanics of walking upon soft sand. The soles of Reebok Easy Tones have special air pods in them. The Easy Tones sole was designed by an ex-NASA scientist and is supposed to work like a balance ball. FitFlop shoes are somewhere in between. They are shaped, but aren’t quite as chunky as the MBT/Skechers type of sole. FitFlops use something called “microwobbleboard” technology – again, the theory is that a small element of imbalance is introduced.
Another type of design is the “negative heel” shoe. This just means that the heel of your foot is actually lower than the toe. The idea behind this is to lengthen your calf muscle and change your posture and gait a little.
Many of the footwear manufacturers have commissioned tests at medical institutes and universities to prove the theory behind their “magic shoes”. These have generally borne out the claims of the manufacturers – however, the fact that these studies were funded by the toning shoe manufacturers is enough to raise a few doubts regarding the independent nature of the tests.
Tests commissioned by the American Council for Exercise (ACE) seemed to demonstrate, according to ACE at least, that the claims made for toning shoes were unsubstantiated. Even these tests have been called into question – with the age range of the participants and the small sample size being raised as being likely to unduly influence the results.
So, the scientific evidence is somewhat ambiguous, and this will probably not change in the near future. The fact that toning shoes are in demand is irrefutable however. Sales have rocketed from just $ 17 million in 2008 to $ 252 million for the first four months of 2010. Results for the full twelve month period are not yet available – but sales of more than $ 1 billion are forecast by industry analysts.
Skechers and Reebok are the two biggest players in the toning shoes sector. They have both seen their market share increase significantly – chiefly at the expense of market leader Nike, who have been more than a little sniffy about the whole concept of toning shoes. The market is starting to mature now and some copycat budget offerings are beginning to appear – which will probably generate a downward pressure on prices during 2011.
That should spell good news for customers. Customer feedback has been very positive. Attempt to separate a woman from her FitFlops or MBT shoes and you may find yourself in a life threatening situation before you know it. That may well be what Nike, ACE and a variety of scientists are overlooking.
There’s not a lot of point in trying to be too scientific about shoes – especially in the women’s sector. The fact that high heels can be dangerous is well established. Apart from the fact that they can lead to falls, twists and sprains, they promote a posture which is far from good for the body. All the same, women all over the world still go crazy for their killer heels.
For many busy modern women, toning shoes must seem like a dream come true. The sandal with the gym built in – better legs and a better butt with every step – make your bottom half your better half. A small selection of some of the current advertising slogans – which are understandably appealing.
If they do what the makers claim then that’s brilliant. If not, then you’ve still got yourself a pair of cool new shoes. If you think about it, what have you got to lose? And – on a more mundane level – if toning shoes do nothing other than to encourage people to walk a little bit more than they would generally do, then that’s a very good thing in itself.
When the wet weather arrives, stay cool and trendy in a colorful pair of Hunter boots – the wellies that are worn by royalty! The latest range of FitFlops winter boots will give you a free lower body workout, keep you warm – all whilst still being very fashionable.
