During the summer, flip flop sandals are very popular – but they can produce foot pain for a lot of wearers. They provide no arch support and generally have a much thinner sole than other types of footwear.

For many people, flip flops are the ideal footwear choice throughout the summer months. They are bright, fashionable and cheap – and a lot of them come with floral or glittery adornments. When worn for short periods, at the beach or around the pool for example, flip flops can provide perfectly adequate protection from rough, or hot, surfaces. However, extended use for prolonged periods can lead to problems with arch and heel pain for many wearers.

If you enjoy the airiness of flip flop type sandals and you really want to wear them for extended periods of time, then it might be worth your while to have a look at the FitFlops range. These look exactly like flip flops – but they incorporate a thicker, specially shaped sole which provides more support. These are much better for you than normal flip flop sandals. They are even approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

The unique design of the sole encourages the muscles of your legs and butt to do a little extra work when you walk around in your FitFlops. FitFlops are toning shoes and they use something that the makers refer to as “microwobbleboard” technology. It’s intended to operate along the same lines as one of those balance boards that you might see at the gym these days.

This special sole introduces a small element of instability when you walk in your FitFLops. The muscles in your lower body try to re-establish your natural balance – which causes them to do a little extra work. The end result of this is that each and every step that you take in your FitFlop sandals helps to tone up your legs and trim down your butt. In effect, you are getting a lower body workout just by walking about – and all without the need to visit the gym or to pay any expensive monthly membership fees.

FitFlops come in a very wide choice of styles and colors. As a matter of fact, the range has been expanded to include clogs, winter boots, slippers and sneakers these days. They’re all very fashionable – but it’s the sandals that will afford you the freedom of flip flops without any injury risk and help you to get into better shape into the bargain.

If FitFlops aren’t quite to your taste – which seems unlikely given that they now have such a large selection – there are a variety of other toning shoes available that you might want to have a quick look at. Skechers Shape Ups are probably the market leaders – but Reebok Easy Tones or MBT shoes may also appeal to you.

Toning shoes are the latest innovation in the fitness footwear market, and the seem to be causing a fair bit of controversy. Toning shoes promise to give their wearers a free lower body workout when they walk about thanks to a specially designed sole. Toning shoes must seem like the answer to their prayers for many busy, modern women.

Needless to say, there are those who do not buy into the whole concept of toning shoes. The American Council for Exercise (ACE) commissioned a study which, in their opinion at least, demonstrated that the claims made for toning shoes were spurious. The footwear manufacturers hit back by pointing out that the ACE study had an extremely small sample size and an inappropriate age range.

Of course, the major footwear companies have had tests of their own performed – and these seem to support the various claims made for them. Nevertheless, the very fact that the tests were funded by the footwear manufacturers is enough to raise doubts for many people.

Bearing in mind the inconclusive nature of the scientific findings at the moment, taking a quick look at some user feedback would seem to make sense. This seems to be very positive, by and large – and it’s interesting to note that many toning shoe wearers report perceived benefits which aren’t even mentioned by the footwear manufacturers.

Some users report reduced cellulite. Some people, especially those who have experienced ongoing problems with joint pain or foot spurs, report that walking in toning shoes has reduced impacts and jarring and has alleviated various problems. Maybe that shouldn’t be such a big surprise. After all, MBT shoes – one of the oldest toning shoes available on the market – were originally developed to improve posture and provide relief from lower back pain.

Some toning shoes – e.g. FitFlops – are often said to be “very comfortable to walk” as compared to other types of leisure shoes. FitFlops also serve to display the latest toning shoe style of not looking like exercise shoes. The FitFlop range contains sandals, boots, slippers, clogs and sneakers. Some of these are very trendy – and other toning shoe manufacturers, like Skechers and MBT shoes for example, are beginning to produce shoes which look less like athletic shoes and more like standard shoes.

At the end of the day, for many buyers, toning shoes are just another new pair of shoes which will look good when they wear them. Many will find them to be a comfortable fit and more pleasant to walk in than conventional shoes. They might even be encouraged to walk a little more often and a little further than they would otherwise do. For many people, any “toning” benefits received may well be viewed as a welcome additional bonus.

One of the biggest developments in the athletic shoes market recently has been the emergence of “toning shoes” which, if the market’s reaction is anything to go by, seem to be one of those products that you 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.

There are a variety of different designs, but the common theme seems to be that they introduce a small amount of imbalance when you’re walking. The muscles in your butt and legs attempt to regain the body’s natural balance, with the result being that they perform a little bit of extra work.

Curved soles – such as those used by both Skechers Shape Ups and MBT shoes are meant to replicate the feeling of walking across soft sand. The soles of Reebok Easy Tones have special air pods in them. The Reebok Easy Tone sole was designed by an ex-NASA scientist and is supposed to work along the same lines as 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 something called “microwobbleboard” technology – again, the theory is that a small element of imbalance is introduced.

One further design variant is the “negative heel” shoe. What that means is that the heel of the foot is a little lower than the toe. The intent of this is to lengthen your calf muscle, modify your gait a little and to encourage a more upright posture.

Most of the toning shoe manufacturers have had tests carried out at independent institutions in order to verify the efficacy of their product. These seem to validate the claims made for toning shoes but, given that they were funded by the footwear manufacturers, many do not consider them to be truly independent.

The American Council for Exercise (ACE) performed trials which, according to them, proved that toning shoes didn’t do what they claim to. 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 clinical and scientific studies are ambiguous, with little chance of any further clarification in the short term. The fact that toning shoes are in demand is irrefutable however. Sales have risen dramatically – from just $ 17 million in 2008 to $ 252 million during only the first four months of 2010. The final results for 2010 will not be available for some time – but sales of over $ 1 billion are predicted.

The main beneficiaries have been Skechers and Reebok. Both have seen their market share increase – mainly at the expense of Nike, who has steered clear of the toning shoes market. The market is starting to mature now and some copycat budget offerings are beginning to appear – which will probably generate a downward pressure on prices during 2011.

That should be good news for consumers. There seems to be plenty of very happy users and customer feedback seems to be almost universally positive. Separating a woman from her Shape Ups or Easy Tones could easily develop into a life threatening situation and should only be attempted with extreme caution. That may well be what Nike, ACE and a variety of scientists are overlooking.

Trying to get too logical and scientific on the subject of women’s shoes is a pointless exercise. The potential health problems associated with high heeled shoes are widely known and well established. Apart from the fact that they can lead to falls, twists and sprains, they promote a posture which is far from good for the body. Even so, women the world over still go crazy for their “killer heels”.

Toning shoes seem like the answer to the prayers of many busy modern women. The sandal with the gym built in – better legs and a better butt with every step – get in shape without setting foot in the gym. Just a selection of a few advertising slogans – and you can see why they might be appealing.

If they do everything that they claim then that’s wonderful. If they don’t, then you still get a chic and fashionable new pair of shoes. If you think about it, 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.

For a great many women, toning shoes must seem like a dream come true. It’s no big surprise when you think about it. They promise to provide wearers with a cellulite reducing, leg toning, butt firming, posture improving lower body workout with every single step that they take. No need to get dressed up from head to toe in Lycra – and no need to make a trip to the gym. All that you have to do is slip on a different pair of shoes before you leave the house in the morning and you’ll be toned and shapely before you know it. You can understand how many professional women or busy mothers would find that to be an attractive prospect.

Toning shoes may be a fairly new innovation – but they are one of the most rapidly growing segments of the footwear market. There are a variety of different brands and designs on the market – most of which work thanks to a special design of sole. The sole is specially designed to promote extra work by the muscles of the lower body during normal walking activity. That’s how the trimming and toning results are delivered.

Skechers Shape Ups and Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) Shoes use a chunky, curved sole which is intended to mimic the mechanics of walking across soft sand. FitFlops incorporate a sole which makes use of something called “microwobbleboard” technology. This generates minor imbalances during the course of walking which the muscles in the lower body try to compensate for. Reebok Easy Tones use special air pods in their soles. These also generate a certain degree of instability which prompts the muscles in the lower body to do additional work as they try to restore the balance of the body.

The majority of toning shoes look like fitness footwear – FitFlops are the exception to the rule. They have always looked nothing like fitness footwear and include bright sandals and clogs in their range. However, other manufacturers such as Skechers are now introducing shoes and boots which don’t look like training shoes and are really very fashionable and chic.

There is a degree of controversy surrounding the subject of toning shoes. Various “independent” trials have been commissioned by the different manufacturers and, in general, these seem to back up the claims made regarding enhanced muscle activity. Neither is there any shortage of glowing testimonials from satisfied customers. Nevertheless, there are many who consider the claims to be unrealistic and doubt whether the studies performed can be considered truly independent given that they were funded by the manufacturers themselves.

There are definitely two sides to the toning shoes debate. However, health professionals advise that walking is one of the very best ways to take exercise. If toning shoes do nothing other than to encourage users to walk a little bit further and a little more often than they would typically do then that’s a pretty good result in itself.

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. Whatever sport you take part in, and whatever your exercise regime is, you definitely need a good, comfortable pair of shoes in order to derive the maximum enjoyment and fitness benefits from it. If your shoes are badly designed, or if they don’t fit you properly, then you could get blisters, fail to enjoy your activity and even increase the risk of sprains and other injuries.

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 targeted mainly at people who either walk for exercise or, in certain cases, possibly don’t manage to get as much exercise as they might wish. They seem to have sprung up from nowhere, but they’re now becoming so widespread that a new term has been coined for them – “toning shoes”.

These shoes are specifically designed to increase the amount of work performed by the muscles in the lower body whilst engaged in normal walking. There are now a number of different manufacturers, each with their own offerings available, and designs vary, but this is typically achieved by the use of a specially designed sole.

A number of brands – such as Fit flops sandals, Skechers Shape Ups and Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) include a curved sole. This is intended to encourage a gentle rolling motion whenever the foot contacts the ground. This minimizes any impact shock and is said to replicate the mechanics of walking barefoot on a soft surface such as sand.

Reebok Easy Tones are the most recent entrant to the market and these also make use of a specially engineered sole. However, rather than using a curved sole,Easy Tones incorporate air pods in their soles which generate a small amount of instability. The idea is that the lower body muscle will try to compensate for this and regain balance. This means that extra work is being carried out and your lower body gets toned. Fitflops also use this principle as well as the curved sole, in the shape of something they have dubbed “microwobbleboard” technology.

Of the brands on the market Fitflops and MBTs look least like fitness footwear. Many people will find this appealing as the shoes are promoted as being able to give you a “workout while you walk” and also “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. MBTs are, to be fair, aimed more at people who want to alleviate back and joint pain than those who want to get into better shape.

The Skechers Shape Ups range does include some shoes which don’t look like fitness footwear. They have Mary Janes for example. Reebok Easy Tones are more focused on the mainstream exercise market and look exactly like what they are – high tech exercise shoes.

So, is the use of these new miracle shoes really going to give you a workout while you walk? Can the simple, and easy to achieve, act of pulling on a different pair of shoes in the morning really help to trim and tone your lower body? It would be wonderful if it was true. There must be plenty of people who would love to get more exercise but find it difficult to schedule the time for this into their daily routine.

At the moment, opinions are divided. Needless to say, all of the manufacturers are keen to cite the results of independent scientific testing which validates the effectiveness of their products. There is no shortage of very positive feedback from a large number of satisfied customers who have used this type of shoe. On the other hand, many doctors and health specialists have cast serious doubt over the claims made.

These shoes sell for prices which are comparable with those of normal exercise shoes. The range of styles and colors available are extensive – so there should be something that is to your taste. Maybe the next time you are buying a new pair of shoes anyway, it might be worth your while to try a pair and see if they work for you.