"Toning Shoes" or Phony Shoes?

Submitted by Anne Landman on

Reebok Shape-upsThose roly-poly sneakers you are seeing everywhere -- with rounded soles like a rocking chair -- are marketed by manufacturers like Skechers, Reebok, Avia and New Balance with claims that they promote healthy weight loss, improve posture, fight cellulite, reduce knee joint stress and improve the shape of wearers' thighs and buttocks. The customer base for the shoes is 90 percent women, and they sell for $100 to $250, They also represent the fastest-growing segment of the athletic footwear industry. Skechers even hired Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana to tout the shoes in an effort to entice more men to buy them. But doctors are starting to warn that the shoes destabilize how people walk, and wearing them can strain people's Achilles tendons. The shoes can also be a special threat to older people who have more difficulty keeping their balance. Their built-in instability makes a wearer work harder to maintain balance, giving more of a workout, according to companies that make them, and while there are some elements of truth to the ads, doctors question their safety and want more independent studies of the shoes instead of industry-financed research. Meanwhile, David Davidson, national president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, says "Nothing about these shoes has any redeeming value to me," and he says he's suspicious of any shoes that come with an instructional booklet and DVD.

Main Source: 
USA Today, June 30, 2010
Topics: 
Advertising
Health
Marketing

Comments

Anonymous replied on

I so completely agree with the president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine who says these shoes are worthless. And they look uncomfortable as well. If you want to shape up, squats will do the trick better than these shoes. And squats don't have the high price tag!

timothywooden78 replied on

I agree. Instead of investing too much on these expensive shoes to lose weight and tone your legs, wake up early everyday, jog around the village (with any rubber shoes on) and tone whichever part of your body.:)

Joshua Morris replied on

I got a pair of these some time ago, and i cant say i have used them all that much, but they did hurt my feet, and i didnt really see the point.

I dont know why people cant just run or walk normally, there are so many thousands of cardio exersises and workouts that one can do, that its not worth it to invest in a pair of shoes like this.

Just my thoughts!

Fanshop6106 replied on

I think the podiatric society should be doing a study on the dangers of texting and walking. ;-) Seriously, didn't I just see a commercial with Oprah on it about that very subject??

chrisdgreat12 replied on

Well, I might just say if you are not comfortable wearing it then dont wear it. But if it gives you additional comfortableness, then why dont you wear that shoes?

cast iron wok replied on

I got a pair of these some time ago, and i cant say i have used them all that much, but they did hurt my feet, and i didnt really see the point.

I dont know why people cant just run or walk normally, there are so many thousands of cardio exersises and workouts that one can do, that its not worth it to invest in a pair of shoes like this.

Anonymous replied on

I tried these out for about 5 minutes in the store, after reading about them. They took the pain away from my knees. I can't afford them. I didn't want to invest $100 in something which may not be reputable. Plus, I'm shallow and they're ugly.

My poor woman's solution: walk in platform flip flops from Walmart (less than $10! Woot!) over soft, uneven ground. Yes, I walk around in flip flops in my backyard, gleefully saving $90+. You get the instability factor to help strengthen your feet and ankles. The soft ground relieves my knee pain. I can walk longer and faster than on pavement.

It's revolutionary! It changed my life! ::sarcasm::

Anonymous replied on

I use orthodics and these shoes made the alignment of my joints, muscles and tendons feel off or out of balance. I didn' like them.

Susan

Cheer Stunts replied on

I don't think anyone can argue that they look uncomfortable. There are all sorts of products out there suggesting they help you lose weight or get in shape without doing anything different.

Unfortunately those claims are often proved false. It will be interesting to see what studies show for these shoes. They may help, but they certainly cannot replace diet and exercise.

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