Imagine a shoe that doesn't just work at the gym, it works like the gym.
That's right. These shoes promise to tighten and tone muscles, rev the metabolism and even burn cellulite as you walk.
How effective they are seems to be up to the wearer and the faith they put in the marketing and technology of companies like Reebok, Skecher and MBT, all makers of a variety of "toning shoes."
MBT's shoes have been around the longest; they seem to have been a well-kept secret of the comfort-shoe set for years. But now that other companies have their own versions, there's plenty of interest afoot in the shoe that started it all.
Billed as "the anti-shoe." MBTs "aren't shoes at all. They're actually highly effective pieces of exercise equipment," according to the company's literature. People with back pain, knee pain and a host of other problems swear by their restorative effects, says Trish Scott, vice-president of marketing for MBT in Canada and a former personal trainer.
Most notable for their odd-looking shape--some might call them ugly--and hefty price tag of $300 or more, depending on the style, MBTs have a platform sole shaped like a rocker. The name stands for Masai Barefoot Technology, because the shoe was designed--by a Swiss engineer, no less -- to mimic the barefoot walking of the East African Masai people.
Like an exercise ball at the gym, the shoes work because of "three-dimensional instability," which "creates strength," explains Scott. Walking in MBTs forces people to shorten their stride, which improves posture and ultimately, reduces the impact on joints. It also causes the butt and leg muscles to work harder, toning the body. "Your body needs to be challenged. Conventional shoes do all the balancing for you."
Wearers burn more calories, even just by standing in the shoes, the company says. In one study, two-thirds of women who wore MBTs reported a decrease in their cellulite and a significant weight loss of 1.3 kg, according to MBT.
While they've been around in Canada for five years, it was only this past spring that MBT introduced shoes with lower-profile soles, making them look less like relics from a Kiss concert and more like regular shoes, thus increasing their appeal to the fashion-conscious. Canadian fashion designer Simon Chang can be seen wearing black-and-red MBTs during runway shows. MBT now sells boots and dressier shoes with the same sole, for both men and women.
Better-known shoe companies-- most notably Skecher and Reebok -- started selling their own takes on the toning shoe this year, focusing less on its comfort and corrective abilities and more on its butt-toning, leg-shaping and fitness-inducing abilities.
Skechers' Shape-Ups have a platform-rocker sole similar to MBT's, but without its patented technology and for almost half the price, between $145 and $155. According to Skechers' online video, which actually offers instructions on how to walk in the shoes, Shape-Ups improve circulation, burn calories, reduce cellulite, improve posture and help in weight loss.
Introduced earlier this year, Shape-Ups have proven so popular that the Skechers store at West Edmonton Mall has a waiting list of customers, as does the store in Toronto's Eaton Centre, says Cris Alcantara.
"The demand has been nothing short of amazing," he says. Skechers' are also available in both men's and women's styles.
Reebok has found similar success with EasyTone shoes, which they make only for women. Introduced just last month to SportChek stores in Canada, the shoe is almost sold out at many locations, says Marc Fisher, marketing manager for footwear and apparel at Reebok Canada. A few sizes are still available, and more styles will be coming in November.
"The response has been to a point where we are not able to continue pushing the marketing because the stores can't satisfy the demand," he says.
The Reebok shoe relies on a different design, without the distinctive platform sole. Instead, the shoe creates instability with pods at the forefoot and heel that force the thighs, calves and butt muscles to work harder, says Fisher. The company's research shows gluteal muscles work 28 per cent harder, while thigh and calf muscles work 11 per cent harder, when wearing EasyTone shoes.
"It literally feels like you're walking on an inflatable mattress, or sand," he says. "You really feel the instability."
Reebok's website even shows specific exercises that can be done while wearing the shoes. And while they're great for walking on a treadmill, they're not recommended for running, Fisher adds.
Next spring, Reebok will launch an EasyTone flip-flop. Skechers already makes a flip-flop model called Tone-Ups, that use wobble-board technology, rather than the platform, rocking heel, says Alcantara.
Tone-Ups look much like another popular toning sandal, called FitFlops, which have enjoyed success mostly via word of mouth.
"We just can't keep them in stock," says Amanda Perry of Wener Shoes. "They're like walking in nothing. We have people who will buy two pairs; one for inside and one for outside."
Groups of women arrive together and each buy a pair after seeing a friend or colleague wearing them, she adds.
The store also stocks a range of MBT shoes, and has for years. Perry, 19, wears them regularly, after developing knee problems from dancing when she was younger.
"They do everything but make toast," she laughs. "They're great shoes. I love them."
Her colleagues at the store also swear by MBTs, as do a host of their regular customers. Veronica Day, another salesperson, says she had terrible shin splints from years of running. She's been wearing MBTs for two years now, and uses them regularly for power walks and the occasional run. "It's a real workout," says the slim and fit-looking 58-year-old. "I think they help tone, absolutely."
TEST RUN
Anything that promises to tone your legs and butt with minimal extra effort is worth trying, right?
That must be the near-universal sentiment upon which makers of the new breed of "toning" shoes are banking; the same one that propelled me into a pair, along with an offer from Reebok to try them out for free.
I wore the $100 EasyTone walking shoes--in a style that won't be available here until November--to walk the dog, walk to work and yes, run(about seven or eight kilometres) even though the company doesn't recommend it, for safety reasons.
The shoes look like regular runners from the top. The difference is in the soles. Each is fitted with two air pods, one in the forefoot and one in the heel. Viewed from the side, the pods protrude slightly from the sole.
The idea is that the air pockets "absorb energy when you walk to help create resistance," according to the shoebox insert. Reebok's research shows thigh, calf and gluteal muscles work harder. The feel is likened to walking on an inflatable air mattress.
The shoes did feel very cushy, and only slightly wobbly. At a casual walking pace, they were comfy and easy to walk in, and my legs didn't feel much different.
At a brisk walk, though, my legs did seem to be working harder, because the very cushiness that made the shoes comfortable also made them harder to step in quickly --a bit like walking on sand.
Running was noticeably more taxing. My legs felt heavier, and, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't land lightly. I imagine I sounded more like an elephant lumbering through the river valley than a gazelle.
Though I ran one of my regular routes at my usual pace, my butt was definitely feeling it the next day, a good indication I had worked harder than I normally do. I could still feel it the next day, walking to work, perhaps because my route included the 200-stair climb out of the river valley by the Hotel Macdonald.
Other toning shoes, like those made by MBT and Skechers, use a different design to achieve similar results--a platform, rocking sole that requires leg muscles to work hard to keep the body balanced. While people have told me they've run in MBTs and the company says one can "slow jog" in the shoes, I'm not brave enough, or well-balanced enough, to try it.
The only down side of the Reebok shoes is that they look like, well, running shoes. The MBTs and Skechers look downright strange. None could really be worn for anything other than a walk or run--preferably on an isolated path--or maybe a trip to the grocery store. Then again, for those shameless enough to wear yoga pants everywhere, they might be the perfect accompaniment. If you're looking to exercise rather than make a fashion statement, it might be worth giving toning shoes a try. We women spend enough of our lives trying to balance on high heels. All that effort might as well go towards something constructive, like fitness, rather than fashion and future podiatry bills.
