Can a pair of shoes really work miracles? (By miracles I mean tone your butt, help you get rid of cottage cheese thighs, and torch more calories.) The world has been hit recently with a new craze of toning shoes that boasts benefits such as these. However, with so many fitness fad out there today, I was a little skeptical.
According to WebMD, rocker sole shoes were first developed for people with diabetes or ankle problems, but are now mainly being marketed as "toning shoes." These shoes are more unstable and have a curvy sole which makes it feel like you're exercising on something like a sandy beach. This forces you to work muscles (mainly in your butt, thighs, and calves) that you otherwise would not. They can also change your posture and take pressure off of the joints.
However, before you go and drop close to $100 on a pair, consider this:
A new study, released by the American Council on Exercise (ACE), shows that toning shoes including Skechers Shape-Ups, MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology), and Reebok EasyTone don't help you exercise more intensely, burn more calories, or improve your muscle strength and tone. Also, many people do feel that these shoes work because of soreness in different muscles. Don't be fooled. The shoe’s unstable sole design does cause wearers to use slightly different muscles to maintain balance, resulting in temporary soreness that will subside as the body adjusts to the shoe.
Bottom Line: People are always looking for a "quick fix" to their fitness/weight problems. However, being in shape takes hard work, determination, and committment and sadly, no shoe (no matter how fabulous) is going to replace that. However, if you consider a brand new pair of sneakers your motivation to be active and shape up, then they can absolutely still serve a great purpose.
There are many different brands that are selling these toning shoes. Sketcher's Shape Ups even has Joe Montana in one of its commercials to promote them...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO18BZxtC0g
Let me just tell you that I was one of the first to fall victims to this fad about 3 years ago. I went to Blissspa.com where my friend told me about MBT shoes, which like you stated, were originally designed for people with diabietes and back problems. However these MBT shoes (which I thought stood for Mind Body Technology)also claimed to have a calorie burning effect due to the imbalance and everything else you stated. I walked around in these damn moon-shoes for years before I realized they don't do anything unless you consistently get on the eliptical with them, which is exactly the same scenario with any sneaker or foot for that matter. They don't do anything unless you exersize. I don't know what effect they have on diabetes or back-impailed people, but I do know that they are nothing more then a moon-shoe that may help your height a couple inches.
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