I read an article online regarding those workout shoes 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.
I know the pricing is correct, because a year or so ago I decided to purchased a pair of those Skechers Women's Toning Shoes for my wife Kathy. Not an inexpensive shoe by any means, but I felt the benefits out weighed the costs; and hey were pink, looked like something she might like, so I bought them.
She was excited to try them and loved the color. Sadly, she only tried them maybe two or three times, complaining of how they hurt her feet and didn't feel the difference in her daily three mile walk.
Turns out 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.
The fancy toning shoes have patiently been sitting in Kathy's closet waiting for the day she decides to give them another chance. From what I've been reading, I don't think they have much benefit, but then again, that's my opinion.
If I knew back when I purchased the shoes, that these were more of a gimmick than not, I wouldn't have wasted the money.
If I knew back when I purchased the shoes, that these were more of a gimmick than not, I wouldn't have wasted the money.
For more information read CNN Health's:
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