Toning shoes are one of the most recent innovations in the exercise footwear market and they seem to be one of those items which people either love or hate. The general theory is that – by the use of a specially designed sole – they encourage the muscles in your lower body to do a little more work than normal when you walk around whilst wearing them.

Different manufacturers have a number of different designs on offer – but the common element appears to be the introduction of imbalance during walking activity. The muscles in the lower body work a little harder than normal as they attempt to re-establish the natural balance of the body.

Shaped soles – like Skechers Shape Ups and MBT shoes are intended to replicate the mechanics of walking on soft sand. The soles of Reebok Easy Tones have special air pods built in. The Easy Tones sole was designed by an ex-NASA scientist and is intended to work a bit like a balance ball. FitFlop shoes are somewhere in the middle. They are shaped, but aren’t quite as chunky as the MBT/Skechers type of sole. FitFlops use “microwobbleboard” technology (based upon balance board principles), which also introduces minor imbalances when walking.

Another type of design is the “negative heel” shoe. All that means is that the heel of your foot is at a lower level to the toe. The idea of this is to give you a more upright posture, modify your gait and to lengthen your calf muscle.

Clinical trials have either been performed or commissioned by the various manufacturers in order to establish the validity of their claims for toning shoes. These have generally borne out the claims of the manufacturers – however, the fact that these studies were funded by the toning shoe makers is enough to raise doubts about the independent nature of the tests.

Tests commissioned by the American Council for Exercise (ACE) seemed to demonstrate, according to ACE at least, that the claims made for toning shoes were unsubstantiated. However, even the validity of those tests was queried by many due to a very small sample size and the age range of the participants.

So, the scientific evidence is somewhat ambiguous, and will probably not change in the near future. However, the fact that there is a huge demand for toning shoes is indisputable. Sales have rocketed from just $ 17 million in 2008 to $ 252 million for the first four months of 2010. The full twelve month figures are not available right now – but industry analysts are predicting sales of over $ 1 billion.

Reebok and Skechers have been the winners in the toning shoes market to date. They have both seen their market share increase significantly – chiefly at the expense of market leader Nike, who have been more than a little sniffy about the whole concept of toning shoes. The market is now maturing somewhat and there are a number of copycat shoes being offered, which will probably result in a general reduction in prices during 2011.

That should be welcome news for customers. Very positive customer feedback abounds. Any attempt to separate a woman from her Easy Tones or Shape Ups might well turn into a life threatening situation. That may well be what Nike, ACE and a variety of scientists are overlooking.

There’s no point trying to get all scientific and analytical on the subject of women’s shoes – that would be no more than an exercise in futility. The dangers of high heels are well established and widely known. Never mind the fact that they can cause twists, sprains and embarrassing falls, they encourage a posture which is not good for the body. However, women all over the world are just crazy for their killer heels.

For many busy modern women, toning shoes must seem like a dream come true. The sandal with the gym built in – better legs and a better butt with every step – make your bottom half your better half. No more than selection of the advertising slogans currently in use – and it’s easy to see why people would find toning shoes attractive based on those.

If they live up to the hype then that’s great. If they don’t live up to the hype then at least you’ve got a new pair of shoes. When you look at it that way, what have you got to lose? And – on an even more prosaic level – if all that toning shoes do is encourage their wearers to walk a little bit more than they usually do, then that’s a pretty good result in itself.

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Health and Fitness