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Whilst it’s true that they can be a pricey item, exercise shoes are definitely one of the most important items of fitness equipment that you can have. It doesn’t matter what sport you play or what your fitness program is, you need a good pair of shoes in order to get the maximum enjoyment and health benefits from it. If your shoes are poorly designed, if they don’t fit well, you could wind up with blisters, perform poorly and even run the risk of injuring yourself.

There are certain types of sports which will require very specialized shoes, but the majority of people will be happy with cross trainers or tennis shoes for general exercise – jogging and walking for example. At the moment, new designs of exercise shoes are appearing on the market. These are primarily aimed at people who either already walk for exercise or who would like to walk for exercise but struggle to find time to fit it in. They seem to have popped up from nowhere – and they are proving to be so popular that a new term has been invented for them – “toning” shoes.

The idea is that these shoes are designed in such a way as to increase the amount of work done by the muscles in the lower body whilst walking normally. There are a number of different manufacturers with their own offerings these days, and designs vary, but this is generally achieved by using a specially designed sole.

A lot of brands – such as Fit flops sandals, Skechers Shape Ups and Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) use a curved sole. This is intended to produce a rolling motion when the foot first contacts the ground. This replicates the effects of walking barefoot on soft sand and minimizes mechanical shocks.

The Easy Tones from Reebok are the latest offering available on the market and also use a specially designed sole. However, instead of using a curved sole, Easy Tones have air pods included which produce a small amount of imbalance. The lower body muscles will react and try to regain balance so as to compensate for this. This requires extra effort so your lower body gets toned. As well as the use of a curved sole, Fitflops also use this same principle by incorporating something which they call “microwobbleboard” technology in their range of footwear.

Of the brands available Fitflops and MBTs look least like exercise shoes. This will appeal to many people as the shoes are marketed as giving you a “workout while you walk” and “the sandal with the gym built in”. Clearly the suggestion is that you can tone up your lower body just by wearing the shoes and going about your normal daily routine. To be strictly accurate, the main market for MBTs may be more from people wishing to reduce back and joint pain whilst improving posture rather than getting toned.

There are some shoes which don’t look like fitness footwear included in the Skechers Shape Ups range. For example, Mary Janes are available. Reebok Easy Tones are more focused on the mainstream exercise market and look exactly like what they are – high tech exercise shoes.

So, is it really possible to get a “workout while you walk” just by wearing these new miracle shoes? Will pulling on a different pair of shoes each morning genuinely help you to tone your lower body? It’s definitely a very appealing proposition. There will be a great many people who would like get more exercise but who find it impossible to find time for this in their busy daily schedule.

Opinions are divided at the moment. Clearly all of the manufacturers are keen to make reference to clinical testing which, they say, confirms the effectiveness of their products. There is certainly a lot of very positive feedback from satisfied users of this type of shoe. By the same token, quite a few doctors and health specialists have expressed doubts over many of the claims being made.

When all’s said and done, these shoes retail at around about the same price as normal exercise shoes. There’s an extensive range of styles and colors to pick from – you should find something that you like. Maybe the next time you are looking for a new pair of shoes anyway, you should consider getting yourself a pair of toning shoes and finding out if they work for you or not.

Find out more about the huge selection of styles available from Fit flops – sandals, boots, clogs and slippers. Try using an Omron pedometer to monitor your progress and help you to stay motivated.