Imagine a shoe that could do the workout for you.
That’s at least part of the idea behind Skechers Shape-ups and other similar toning shoes that have recently hit the market.
The Skechers website claims that Shape-ups “can help burn more calories, tone muscles and improve posture.”
The shoes have curved bottoms which supposedly shape and sculpt the body while the user walks. The idea behind the footwear is that the curved bottom creates instability and causes the body to compensate.
While Skechers produces the most prominent example of the shoes, other companies like New Balance and Reebok have come out with their own toning shoes. The companies offer differing styles and varieties for toning specific areas of the body.
Skechers popularized the idea, but the first toning footwear were the Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) products. The product refers to itself as the “anti-shoe,” rebelling against hard, flat floors that everyone walks on in modern life.
The MBT’s aim is to simulate the body’s natural imbalance walking on soft surfaces.
MBT products can run up to $250. Skechers Shape-ups plateau around $100.
Nate Workentine, a senior nutrition, exercise and health science major at U. Nebraska-Lincoln, is skeptical about toning shoes.
“These companies seem to make exaggerated claims based on little evidence,” he said.
Kimberly Barrett, assistant director for wellness services at the UNL Campus Recreation Center, owns a pair of “Fit Flops” but not because they will help her work out her body. She has lower back problems and said the shoes relieve pressure.
“All the research says ‘no they don’t tone your legs,” she said. “It just shifts your weight a little bit.”
She would recommend the shoes to cashiers or other workers who must stand for most of their day. She said the shoes are more functional for comfort rather than toning.
“If people think they’re going to get these amazing legs, they’re going to have to work out,” she said.
Workentine would not recommend the products because of increased likelihood of injuries, including broken ankles. He also said both Skechers and Reebok have admitted that the user’s body will adjust to the new shoes and posture problems will return.
Skechers is currently facing a class action lawsuit in California for false claims about the health benefits of their products.
“These shoes cannot replace exercising and dieting,” Workentine said. “There is no ‘magic bullet’ for losing weight. If people are unsure of how to best lose weight and increase muscularity, they should consult a dietitian and/or a personal trainer.”