Sunday, January 06, 2008
Life, Health + Fitness, Style

Walk this way

Shoes—a fitness revolution?

By Jessica Thomas

Eating pizza versus working out? Eating cookies as opposed to working that booty in step class? Considering going to the gym, but have a yearning for a grande mocha latte? As far as diets are concerned, the eating part is always going to come out on top. Everyone wants a fab body, but hardly any of us are willing to work at it. Hey, we all like to eat and drink (and I’m not talking water here). But now it you might not have to work as hard to get a bodacious shape. Shape Up Shoes have introduced an innovative way to tone and shape your body as well as shed pounds.

It almost sounds too good to be true: Walk your way to sculpted legs. You do have to exert a little something (but not much) to get the goods in return. The DL on Shape Up Shoes is that they work your lower parts because of the way the sole of the shoes are shaped. Called a negative heel, the soles of the shoes are similar to a teeter totter. So in order to stay balanced, you must use the muscles not used otherwise in your legs, abs and rear. Thus those muscles are strengthened and toned significantly where they wouldn’t be otherwise. Another benefit of wearing the shoes is the strengthening of the inner core, which results in improved posture and a more aligned spine.

The motion when walking in Shape Up Shoes is similar to that of balancing on a BOSU board in combination with using a Stairmaster, says Trammell Wilson, who discovered them in 2004 in her search to find a product that worked with a sensible diet and regular exercise to help lose weight. Wilson suggests that people wear the shoes while getting ready, cleaning the house, checking the mail, walking the dog and doing all sorts of everyday chores, but not when engaging in vigorous physical exercise. Just balance your weight in the middle of each of the shoes, and you won’t fall over. No really, you won’t. It takes a little while to get used to them, but after a while, people can walk normally, Wilson says. And wear them during all seasons of the year as they are available in three styles: flip flops, clogs and boots. The flip flops also are available in different colors.

“With everyone’s busy, crazy lives, it so hard to find a significant time period to exercise,” says Wilson. “So wearing the shoes cuts exercise time in half. After wearing these for 30 minutes, I feel like I have been on a Stairmaster!”

So while you are running around getting things done, slip them on and go. Because the calorie burn rate is three times that of standard walking for sandals and two times for clogs. Sounds simple, right? The increased muscular activity trim and tone the legs, from your ankles through your butt, the abdomen and lower back, including the love handles. And everyone wants to get rid of those. The shoes also significantly reduce the onset of varicose and spider veins, plus wearing them diminishes existing cellulite and prevents it from developing as well as helps those who suffer from lower back pain, swelling in the arms and legs and Plantar Fasciitis.

Increase your physical activity (no, no lifting up a keg doesn’t count) and limit fat and calorie intake, too. Combine all this with wearing the fitness footwear 30 minutes a day. “After a while of engaging in healthy practices and wearing Shape Up Shoes, weight loss and toning is natural,” says Wilson. Shape Up Shoes are available in quite a few local shops. Visit shapeupshoes.com for more information. SP