Do Toning Shoes Work?

Toning shoes are the new rage everywhere. The advertisement of women prancing in these shoes, with a perfect pair of legs and thighs, and a perfect butt, would make all of you want to go out and get yourself a pair right now. But hold your horses! There is a lot you need to know about toning shoes, whether they work and how they work to give you that fab bod that is blatantly advertised all around you.

How Do Toning Shoes Work?

Toning shoes claim to give you a perfectly toned lower body, including your legs, thighs and butt, and in fact also claim that your gym membership is no longer required because of the powerful effects of these shoes. These shoes have what are known as pods, or curves in the bottom, that are known to make the wearer unstable. Due to this imbalance, people have to use their muscles to remain stable, which means these muscles of the calves and glutes are being exercised in order to stand straight. As such, the makers of such shoes claim that simply walking in these shoes can give you a highly desirable lower body along with a strengthened core. The entire principle that these toning shoes are based on, is providing the experience of walking in sand that requires more effort than walking on a smooth path.

Do Toning Shoes Really Work?

As much as you want to believe that it is indeed so simple to have a well-toned body, skeptics and medical experts prove otherwise. People who have worn these shoes through a whole day have complained of aching feet at the end of the day. While an increase in the muscular activity of the lower body has been noticed, that it accompanies severe pain of the legs and feet is not appreciated. Furthermore, if a person already has stability problems or an existing injury in their ankles, knees, etc. these shoes are not the ideal choice, or rather a choice to be considered. Another important consideration regarding these shoes is that women who are used to wearing high heels, or do so most of the time should avoid these shoes at any cost. This is because the Achilles tendon is stretched when toning shoes are worn, and the case is the opposite when wearing heels because the heel is positioned higher above the toe. This means the range of motion of the Achilles tendon is lower. A sudden shift to toning shoes from high heels may cause this tendon to tear or rupture.

On the other hand, it has been found that those who have a normal posture and the absence of such problems as mentioned above, these shoes may prove effective. However, this does not mean that you do not require any other form of exercise. In effect, toning shoes may prove effective only when you combine them with a good exercise routine along with a healthy diet. Also, nothing can replace actual strength training, so no matter what these shoes claim, you will have to resort to a genuine strength training program to strengthen and tone those muscles.

To put it simply, not much independent research has been put into understanding the effects of toning shoes. Therefore, it cannot be said with complete confidence, whether or not they are indeed effective.

Should You Wear Toning Shoes?

You may choose to wear toning shoes in spite of learning all about its positive and negative effects. Should you choose to do so, there are certain things you must keep in mind. Firstly, get used to these shoes by wearing them for shorter periods everyday. Start with fifteen minutes, and then slowly increase the time you wear them for. Secondly, since these shoes are known to work on the muscles of your lower body, stretching is extremely important when you wear these shoes. Finally, consulting your podiatrist or physical therapist before you resort to wearing these shoes is essential, who will check their suitability for your body type and then advice you accordingly.

So there is still a mixed view about toning shoes, whether they work or not, and whether they can do more harm than good. The final answer by experts still remains that simply a pair of shoes cannot alter your health and lifestyle completely. You still need to follow a healthy diet, a good exercise routine, and perform specific strength training exercises if you really wish to tone your body.