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. It doesn’t matter what sport you play or what your fitness program is, you need a good pair of shoes in order to get the maximum enjoyment and health benefits from it. If your shoes are poorly designed, if they don’t fit well, you could wind up with blisters, perform poorly and even run the risk of injuring yourself.

Certain types of sports require very specialized shoes, but most people will be happy with tennis shoes or cross trainers for general exercise – walking and jogging for example. Currently, new advances in fitness footwear technology are resulting in the appearance of new types of exercise shoes on the market. These are primarily aimed at people who either already walk for exercise or who would like to walk for exercise but struggle to find time to fit it in. They seem to have popped up from nowhere – and they are proving to be so popular that a new term has been invented for them – “toning” shoes.

The theory is that these shoes are designed in a manner which increases the amount of work carried out by the lower body muscles whilst walking normally. 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 lot of brands – such as Fit flops sandals, Skechers Shape Ups and Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) use a curved sole. The idea behind this is to encourage a rolling motion when the foot comes into contact with the ground. This minimizes any impact shock and is said to replicate the mechanics of walking barefoot on a soft surface such as sand.

The Easy Tones from Reebok are the latest offering available on the market and also use a specially designed sole. However, instead of using a curved construction, Easy Tones use air pods in the sole to introduce a small element of instability. The natural reaction of the lower body muscles will be to try to regain balance. This requires extra effort so your lower body gets toned. As well as the use of a curved sole, Fitflops also use this same principle by incorporating something which they call “microwobbleboard” technology in their range of footwear.

Of the brands available Fitflops and MBTs look least like fitness footwear. This will appeal to many people as the shoes are marketed as giving you a “workout while you walk” and “the sandal with the gym built in”. The suggestion is that you will tone your lower body by wearing the shoes as you walk around during the course of 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.

There are some shoes which don’t look like fitness footwear included in the Skechers Shape Ups range. Mary Janes are one of the “non-exercise” models on offer. Reebok Easy Tones are very definitely targeted at the mainstream fitness market segment and, consequently, they look just like what they actually are – high tech and very specialized fitness footwear.

So, can you really get a “workout while you walk” just by wearing these new wonder shoes? Will pulling on a different pair of shoes each morning genuinely help you to 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. Clearly all of the manufacturers are eager to make reference to clinical testing which, they say, confirms the effectiveness of their products. There is certainly a lot of very positive feedback from satisfied users of this type of shoe. On the other hand, many doctors and health specialists have cast serious doubt over the claims made.

When all’s said and done, these shoes retail at around about the same price as 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.

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