subject: Could You Get Even More From Your Workout By Wearing The Latest Sports Shoe Designs? [print this page] When it comes to sports shoes, there are any number of different varieties available today - tennis shoes, squash shoes, running shoes, general trainers - there's something for all tastes and budgets. Clearly choosing the right type of shoe is important - this will maximise your enjoyment and also help to avoid injury.
The latest development in exercise footwear is shoes which actually increase the effectiveness of your workout - or which provide you with a workout for your lower body just by wearing them and walking around as per normal. Typically, these incorporate a specially designed sole - often with a curved shape - and use carefully selected materials in their construction.
Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT), Skechers Shape Ups and Fitflops are all examples of this new type of exercise shoe. They all claim to increase the length of time for which the lower body muscles are active during normal walking - something which, it is said, will help to tone up the wearer's leg and buttock muscles. Given that the average person takes around 15,000 steps every day, you can see how even a small increase in lower body muscle activity whilst walking would have a positive effect.
It is frequently suggested that this kind of shoe reproduces the sensation of walking in soft, yielding sand in your bare feet. If you've ever done this for any length of time then you'll know that it is more tiring than walking on a firm surface - so it does kind of make sense that this might help to maximise the effectiveness of your walking exercise routine. In addition to "making sense" intuitively, there have been a number of scientific studies which have shown that such shoes can genuinely increase muscle activity. Anecdotal testimony from wearers also seems to confirm that the benefits are, for some users at least, real.
Reebok Easy Tones are the latest addition to the range of super efficient exercise shoes. These don't feature a curved sole, unlike most of the other shoes in this category. They are designed to keep you very slightly off balance - which results in increased muscle activity. This theory of imbalance is also made use of by Fitflops - by means of their superbly titled "microwobbleboard" technology - but Fitflops also use a curved sole.
As a rule, these shoes don't cost any more than standard exercise shoes and they are available in a broad selection of styles and colors. Many of them don't even look like training shoes but are styled like normal boots, clogs and flip flops. Whether you decide to wear them in order to increase the efficiency of your exercise routine or if you just want to wear them whilst walking around normally, there's probably going to be a style to suit you. If you haven't taken exercise for a while then it's probably wise to break your new shoes in gradually. Limit their use to just a couple of hours each day, even if you're just walking about as normal. You can wear them for a little longer each day over a fortnight or so.
