Toning shoe fad...

turbo

Well, I bought a pair of Sketcher Shape-ups to help with my plantar fasciitis, and they really do help, though the soles are a bit too spongy for my liking and are uncomfortable (lack of stability) when walking on uneven surfaces. My wife bought a pair for herself and was not able to wear them all day at work, because she stands/walks on concrete all day and found the soft soles uncomfortable, with insufficient stability for long-term standing.

New Balance has recently come out with a line of toning shoes for men and women so my wife bought a pair and wore them to work all day. The next day after work she went right to the factory store and bought 2 more pairs. She loves them. I hope the men's model catches on so they will expand the range of widths. I need at least 2E, maybe 4E, depending on the shape of the lasts. Anyway, the soles are firm, with a decided rocker profile, and look to be just what the doctor ordered.

Full disclosure: My wife works for New Balance in the manufacturing division, though that has no bearing on how comfortable she finds the shoes. In fact, she wore a particular model of Reebocks for a couple of years, until they were discontinued. When you stand or walk on concrete floors all day at work, the comfort of your feet is pretty important. She wears them to work, to walk and to exercise after work - just about all the time. Some of the women on her manufacturing team have bought multiple pairs of those toners, as well. Long-term aches and pains are common in people who have to stand all day running high-speed stitching machines with foot controls.

lisab

I think any shoe can be a device for toning your legs, if they're used properly.

1) Put on shoes.
2) Walk/run about 4 miles in an hour (faster and/or longer if you can).
3) Repeat 3 to 5 times a week.

turbo

That's a good recipe for helping a couch-potato or someone who is bound to a desk. Someone who has to stand and/or walk all day on unyielding surfaces might not have the flexibility to walk or exercise after work without decent footwear. Nor the motivation, if their feet are hurting when they get home.

lisab

So is it a toning shoe, or a shoe made for standing long hours? I'm not really sure what a 'toning shoe' is, it sounds like a marketing scam.

Btw, I've found the more I exercise, the longer I can stand and/or sit for long periods of time. I've had plenty of stand-all-day jobs, I know it's hard to muster the motivation to exercise at the end of the day. But if you can force yourself, it really helps your edurance in the long run.

Lacy33

I have a pair of the Sketcher Shape-ups. I love them and hate them.
The are hard to walk in and keep your balance. But they fly. I don't use them they the way you are suppose to I think. I don't put my heal down, but launch from the middle of the sole where it's raised and roll to the toe. They are really fast. I think they should call them Speeders.

story645

Same but for sort of different reasons. I can run, skip, and dance in my shape-ups 'cause I don't walk any differently in my regular shoes, but I've found that if I'm nauseous (semi-constant during exam period) the rocking makes me feel sea-sick.

Lacy33

They are nauseating because of the motion, but FAST!

If I use them the way one is suppose to, my heal kills for days and just about everything else hurts too. Not for as long as the heal.
When I change back to regular sneakers, I feel like I gave up the sports car.

Ivan Seeking

I too was a little confused about the objective here. For people who stand a lot, Tsu has heard very good things from a few hospital workers, about Z-Coil Footwear.
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthr...ghlight=Z-Coil

The toning claim is confusing as well. On a first pass it sounds like they make it harder to walk. When I wanted to strengthen my legs passively, I wore ankle weights. If I wanted to get a better workout while running, I ran in the dry sand. I don't see how they could tone without forcing the wearer to do extra work. In effect, they must be a highly inefficient shoe.

Max™

Toning shoes are a similar concept to these:


Only instead of increasing your vertical leap/sprinting, they cause you to activate more muscles to remain stable, when used properly you can duplicate the resistance of walking in sand.

I'm a total fan of New Balance, btw, only pair of shoes I've ever bought for more than $40 that I felt were worth more than I paid for them. Got normal length feet for my height, but the ball of my foot is oddly wide, makes me extra tough on shoes.

The NB's + Dr. Scholes massaging gel inserts have lasted for several years and are still just as comfortable as ever, and don't look ratty or anything either.

turbo

They are toning shoes with a gentle but definite "rocker" profile. They are supposed to help you firm up more muscles (or perhaps different muscles) by making you work more as you walk.

My wife reports that walking on concrete is easier on her feet with these than with traditional flat-soled walking shoes. Also, she was trained as a stitcher many years ago and when the stitching department in her production line gets behind, she goes down the line to help them get caught up. If you have ever seen an industrial sewing machine used in shoe-making, you'd notice that the basic functions of the machine are controlled with foot pedals. Those women have to stand in one place all day, and many have moved to the toning shoes because the rocker in the soles helps take a bit of stress off what is essentially a highly repetitive sequence of moves with their feet.

If NB ever produces them in widths that can fit my "paws", I want a pair for walking. I am a heel-strike strider and that is exacerbated when my dog decides to stop heeling and get ahead of me.