TONING SHOES

TONING SHOES

Did you fall for those expensive toning shoes?  Here's an excerpt from the article "The Craze Over ‘Toning’ Shoes Is, Well, Over" by Brad Tuttle publshed on July 28, 2011.  If you want to read more, click this link - http://moneyland.time.com/2011/07/28/the-craze-over-toning-shoes-is-well-over/#ixzz1TT90c1L3

"A year ago, consumers eagerly handed over upwards of $200 for each pair of special fitness “toning” shoes that, thanks to designs featuring padded, wobbly, uneven soles, would supposedly tighten buns, thighs, calves, and abs. Nowadays, amid widespread claims that they don’t come close to working as advertised (and may even be dangerous), toning shoes are more likely to be selling for $50 or less, and shoemakers are unloading millions of them at a loss.

Sales of hot new toning shoes from the likes of Reebok, Skechers, and Avia rose 400% in 2010. But almost as quickly as consumers hopped on board with a gimmicky product that promised quick results through less effort, doctors, fitness gurus, and consumer advocates expressed deep skepticism amounting to something like: “Come on, who are you kidding?”

A study released last fall from the American Council on Exercise concluded:

    “Across the board, none of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation. There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.”"

MY THOUGHTS

So, you see, it pays to wait a little while before jumping onto the band wagon.  Expensive and branded beautiful shoes do not always mean you'll get your money's worth.