Dear Fun and Fit: OK, what’s the truth about those “shape up” shoes? Can I get into shape without going to the gym? Will they really straighten my posture, burn more calories, and firm and lift my butt? Should I be firing my old sneakers?
— Diane in Orcutt
Kymberly: “Truth? You can’t handle the truth!” Or can you?
Alexandra: More important, can you handle Jack Nicholson? Walk closer to me in your black high-heeled pumps and I’ll whisper the answer: Yes, you can get in shape without going to the gym.
Let me put it this way. If you wear the shoes and start to walk more and stand up straighter, then the shoes are working because you are now moving the body that’s in those shoes. Are the “toning shoes” really magical? Um, only if they come with a magician.
Here’s a direct quote from an unbiased study (meaning the shoe company didn’t fund the study): “Across the board, none of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation during any of the treadmill trials. There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.” In plain English, that quote means, “Toning shoes — meh!”
K: Fire up the old sneakers. Fire the new sneakers. But be sneaky about it.
A: Whether you walk in high heels, toning shoes, old sneakers or your favorite bunny slippers, you will feel some effects after your walk simply because you are “mixing it up.” No, that’s not a reference to Joe’s Bar on State Street in Santa Barbara (great place to mix it up, BTW). It means any change will make you feel like your butt just got some new “firmware.”
Click here for some very dry, potentially boring information you should read about choosing your exercise shoes. And I’d know — I wrote it!
K: As for lifting your butt — you want info on the bottom line? — the bottom line is walk. Walk some more. Wear whatever motivates you to walk often and happily. People who wear and love the new “shape up” shoes report being more fit. Most likely it is because they are simply walking more. Hey, whatever it takes.
Now, where did I put my bunny slippers?
Readers: What motivates you to get out of the house and take a walk? Yes, you can say “my dog.” We aren’t picky; we’re nosy.
— Identical twins and fitness pros Kymberly Williams-Evans and Alexandra Williams have been in the fitness industry since the first aerobics studio opened on the European continent. They teach, write, edit, emcee and present their programs worldwide on land, sea and airwaves. They co-write Fun and Fit: Q and A with K and A. You can currently find them in action leading classes in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Kymberly is the former faculty minor adviser at UCSB for its fitness instruction degree offered through the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies; Alexandra serves as an instructor and master teacher for the program. Fun and Fit answers real questions from real people, so please send your comments and questions to info@funandfit.org.