How would you like to trim your butt and tone up your legs without having to visit the gym? It sounds too good to be true – but there are now a whole range of shoes from a variety of different manufacturers which claim to be able to help you do exactly 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. Many of these latest high tech fitness shoes incorporate specially designed and shaped soles 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. As a matter of fact, they aren’t really fitness shoes. They were invented 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. The MBT range of shoes was designed to avoid jarring by encouraging a rolling motion when the wearer’s foot contacts 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 incorporate a specially shaped sole to simulate walking barefoot on soft ground and incorporate something which rejoices in the name of “microwobbleboard” technology. Testing at Salford University and the London South Bank University (LSBU) in the UK has shown that the muscles in the lower body are active for longer whilst walking wearing Fitflops, as compared to walking in normal 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 different specially designed exercise shoes available, Fitflops are probably the least like fitness footwear. They have sandals available in a wide range of colors and styles and have introduced clogs, slippers and boots. 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. Improved posture, reduced cellulite and reduced heel spur pain are amongst the various benefits cited. Traditional flip flop type sandals can actually produce foot problems. Fitflops however, 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. Clinical studies in both the USA and Japan have confirmed that walking in Shape Ups delivers 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 slightly different from the other offerings in that they do not feature a curved sole but use air filled balance pods built into the soles. These generate “natural instability” when you wear them and this makes your muscles work harder as they try to readjust to compensate for the instability.

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 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. In any event, it’s certainly a tempting prospect – a free lower body workout just by walking around. It can’t hurt to try. There are now so many of these high tech wonder shoes available – and at prices pretty similar to standard fitness shoes – that you would probably be able to find a pair that you liked the next time you need new shoes anyway.

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