As of 2011, a sudden rash of fitness footwear, weight loss sandals and toning shoes had become available from such manufacturers as Skechers, Avia, New Balance and Reebok. One of the pioneering toning shoes was actually a sandal, not a shoe. FitFlops footwear, along with other toning sandal manufacturers, promised to help engage wearers' leg muscles when worn while engaging in daily activities.
Brands and Types
Although FitFlops was one of the first toning sandals released for weight loss, in 2007, toning sandals are now available from a number of manufacturers. Skechers offers a line of summer-weather sandals to complement its toning shoe line. Like the shoes, its sandals operate on idea that instability causes you to engage your leg muscles, tone your body and lose weight. The soles of such sandals are often rounded or shortened to create that instability.
Results
Fitness industry experts have been dubious about a sandal's ability to help you tone your body and lose weight. An study by the American Council on Exercise found that there was no significant difference between wearing so-called toning shoes and wearing regular shoes for weight loss and weight training. The study tested three brands of shoes, none of which caused a significant reduction in weight. Since toning sandals use the same instability technology, it's assumed that they are equally ineffective. The FitFlops website cites a London South Bank University study in which FitFlops sandals did show an increase in leg muscle activity, but it's unclear as to whether that can actually help you lose weight.
Results
Although no toning shoe has featured in definitive research that backs up the manufacturer's claims of weight loss, you may actually see a slight improvement in your weight while wearing toning sandals. But, as Bruce Williams, a podiatrist and a past president of the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine pointed out to CNN.com, just because your leg muscles activate while wearing the sandals doesn't automatically mean the sandals are beneficial. Any results you experience while wearing the sandals could be attributed to increased movement rather than instability.
Alternatives
The results you get from wearing toning or weight-loss sandals is probably the results of an increased awareness in physical activity while wearing them. You could benefit from the same principle by wearing a pedometer to count your steps and setting daily step goals. Helping you stay aware of your daily physical activity requirements is the only way that toning sandals can help you lose weight, and a pedometer is more discreet and often less expensive.
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