<p>And if experts differ on how effectively the shoes will buff butts and carve calves, they concur that whatever gets you moving is a good thing. <br /><br />“I tell people to make your bottom half your better half,” said Denise Austin, a fitness expert and spokesperson for Skechers Shape-ups. “They make you feel like you’re walking on sand.”<br /><br />Toning shoes use curved soles and extra padding to alter the wearer’s walking gait, purportedly engaging seldom-used muscles, increasing blood flow and reducing stress to the lower back. <br /><br />“The second you put them on you think ‘good posture’,” Austin said. “They make you more aware than regular shoes.” She said that letters she’s received from nurses and others on their feet all day praise them for their comfort. <br /><br />As for exercise: “I feel it in the butt and the back of my thighs.”<br /><br />Dr Cedric Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise (ACE) said the instability built into toner shoes is purported to increase the workout, much like an exercise ball works the core by keeping it off balance. <br /><br />“Many manufacturers promote these shoes to help tone the muscles of lower extremity, activate the core, as well burn more calories.” <br /><br />So ACE commissioned a small study at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse to compare three brands of toning shoes to normal running shoes, using two groups of 12 active female participants. “The results were remarkably consistent,” Bryant said. “All individuals burned the same number of calories, all activated the same muscles.”<br /></p>
<p>And if experts differ on how effectively the shoes will buff butts and carve calves, they concur that whatever gets you moving is a good thing. <br /><br />“I tell people to make your bottom half your better half,” said Denise Austin, a fitness expert and spokesperson for Skechers Shape-ups. “They make you feel like you’re walking on sand.”<br /><br />Toning shoes use curved soles and extra padding to alter the wearer’s walking gait, purportedly engaging seldom-used muscles, increasing blood flow and reducing stress to the lower back. <br /><br />“The second you put them on you think ‘good posture’,” Austin said. “They make you more aware than regular shoes.” She said that letters she’s received from nurses and others on their feet all day praise them for their comfort. <br /><br />As for exercise: “I feel it in the butt and the back of my thighs.”<br /><br />Dr Cedric Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise (ACE) said the instability built into toner shoes is purported to increase the workout, much like an exercise ball works the core by keeping it off balance. <br /><br />“Many manufacturers promote these shoes to help tone the muscles of lower extremity, activate the core, as well burn more calories.” <br /><br />So ACE commissioned a small study at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse to compare three brands of toning shoes to normal running shoes, using two groups of 12 active female participants. “The results were remarkably consistent,” Bryant said. “All individuals burned the same number of calories, all activated the same muscles.”<br /></p>