Do Toning Shoes Work?

Since I saw the first Reebok Easy Toning Shoe commercial, I have been intrigued by the different shoes available.  And, the athletic shoe manufacturers have also been intrigued with the idea and the creation of their own product for this market.  Sketchers, New Balance, Champion, Dr Scholls, to name a few, all have their own natural waking shoe for easy toning. 

I have written a couple articles about my experience with the shoes; and, I have also joined some other blog sites to find out what other people thought about the shoes.  Following are some unedited comments:

THE GOOD

I bought these easytones this weekend. I walked around in them all weekend and I can definitely tell the difference in my thighs and ankles today (not a visual difference, but I can feel that they are working a little harder than normal) I LOVE these shoes. They are super comfortable, and they are kinda like walking around on BOSU balls they do take getting used to, but you’re not going to trip and fall on your face or anything. I highly recommend them. They are fun to walk around in, so if they encourage us to be a little more active because our shoes are fun (and not to mention, they don’t look retarded like the sketchers shape ups!) then go ahead and buy yourself a pair! You can even go as far as to create your own design and have a totally original pair through the reebok website.

THE BAD

I cycle and swim regularly, also stretch and do yoga, got the Easy Tones to walk around in at work about two months ago, thought they would be fun to wear. For the past month, I have had severe leg cramping in both legs, it has been so intense it frequently wakes me up at night. My lower leg muscles also felt as though they were burning throughout the day. I thought it was from the cycling so I backed way down, the cramping actually intensified, I also slowed down with the swimming. I did not even think about the shoes until last week when a yoga instructor told me it sounded as though my feet were the problem. I immediately quit wearing them and within two nights I was sleeping again. The worst pain was in the muscle above the ankle on the outer side of each leg. I am just one opinion, however, it was great to be able to ride my bike 55 miles yesterday and know that was not the problem. NO more Easy Tone wearing for me!

THE UGLY!

I’ve had mine about two months…I walk about 3-4 miles a day 5-7 days a week. Bad news is both shoes have already gone flat. At $100 I am disappointed. I just can’t afford shoes that only last two months.

So the jury is still out on the shoes.  I have changed my Avia Avi-Motions for Champion Natural Walking Fit Flop knock-offs for the summer – trying to keep from having a farmer tan on my feet.

Tagged as: avi motion. avia avi-motion, Champion Fitness Spring Sandal, Champion Natural Walking Shoe, Dr Scholls natural walking shoe, Dr Scholls Sketchers, new balance, reebok easy tones, skechers shape ups, Sketchers Tone Ups