How would you like to be able to tone your legs and trim your butt without ever setting foot in the gym? It may be too good to be true – but there are now a whole range of shoes, from a number of different manufacturers, which claim to be able to help you do precisely that. They come in a range of colors and styles – some of them look nothing like exercise shoes at all and are very fashionable.

The general approach seems to be to mimic the feeling of walking barefoot on soft ground – like sand or lush grass for example. Most of these new high technology fitness shoes feature specially designed soles in order to achieve this. Selection of the right density of materials used in the construction of the shoes also seems to be important.

Masai Barefoot Technology Shoes (MBTs)

These are probably the forerunner of the current range of shoes on the market. In fact, they aren't fitness shoes at all, strictly speaking. They were developed by a Swiss engineer called Karl Muller. He was walking barefoot across a rice field in Korea when noticed that his back pain, a perennial problem for him, was considerably better than usual.

He did some research and was interested to learn that the Masai are well known for their good posture and have a very low incidence rate of lower back pain. He specifically designed the MBT range of shoes in such a way as to produce a rolling motion when your foot comes into contact with the ground. Users certainly seem happy with he benefits.

Fitflops Sandals, Boots And Shoes

The Fit flops range of fitness footwear was developed in the UK by ex-personal fitness trainer Marcia Kilgore. These also incorporate a specially shaped sole to simulate walking barefoot on soft ground and incorporate something which rejoices in the name of “microwobbleboard” technology. Independent tests, carried out at London South Bank University and Salford University in the UK, has shown that the lower body muscles do more work when walking in Fitflops, in comparison with conventional shoes. Fitflops will, according to the company website, give you a workout while you walk. They tone your lower body as you walk around during the course of your daily routine.

Of the various specially designed fitness footwear on the market, Fitflops are probably the least like exercise shoes. Their range includes sandals in a wide selection of colors and styles and slippers, clogs and boots have now been introduced. Additional to the independent testing, anecdotal feedback from Fitflops wearers suggests that a wide variety of different benefits are available as a result of wearing these shoes. Reduced cellulite, better posture and less heel spur pain are amongst the various benefits attributed to these shoes. Traditional flip flop type sandals can actually produce foot problems. However, Fitflops are approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

Skechers Shape Ups

Skechers Shape Ups shoes also incorporate a curved sole which uses specially selected materials in its construction. Again the aim is to replicate the effect of walking barefoot across soft sand. Clinical studies in both the USA and Japan have confirmed that walking in Shape Ups delivers a number of benefits to wearers.

Reeboks Easy Tones

Reeboks contribution to the latest trend in fitness shoes is the most recent addition to the market. These do not use curved soles like the other shoes discussed so far but have air filled balance pods incorporated into the soles. These generate “natural instability” when you wear them and this makes your muscles work harder as they try to readjust to compensate for the instability.

Once again, various independent tests appear to back up the claims that lower body muscles do more work when wearing this type of shoe. There are also any number of rave reviews from actual users, both on the company website and in other locations.

Intuitively, it’s just about possible to imagine how shoes that reproduce the effect of walking in soft sand might make your muscles perform some additional work. It’s probably also reasonable to assume that, if you’re trying to regain your balance on a constant basis, then that might make your muscles work a little bit harder. In any event, it’s certainly a very attractive proposition – getting a free lower body workout by doing nothing other than walking about as normal. It may well be worth a try. There are so many of these wonder shoes on the market right now – and they cost no more than ordinary fitness shoes – that you could probably get a pair that you liked the next time you need new shoes anyway.