Toning shoes are a fairly recent innovation in the footwear world and they seem to be one of those products that you either love or hate. The theory is that – thanks to the use of a specially designed sole – they cause the lower body muscles to work a little harder than usual when you walk around in them.

Different design solutions are available from different footwear manufacturers – but the generation of an element of instability and imbalance whilst walking seems to be the common theme. The muscles in the lower body work a little harder than normal as they attempt to re-establish the natural balance of the body.

Curved soles – such as those used by both Skechers Shape Ups and MBT shoes are supposed to reproduce the feeling of walking upon soft sand. The soles of Reebok Easy Tones have special air pods in them. The Reebok Easy Tone sole was designed by an ex-NASA scientist and is supposed to work along the same lines as a balance ball. FitFlop shoes are somewhere in the middle. They are curved, but not quite as thick and chunky as the Skechers/MBT type of shoe. FitFlops use something called “microwobbleboard” technology – again, the theory is that a small element of imbalance is introduced.

Negative heel shoes are a further design variant. This just means that the heel of your foot is actually lower than the toe. This is intended to lengthen your calf muscle, change your gait and give you a more upright posture.

The footwear manufacturers have funded trials and tests at various establishments in order to validate the theory behind their products. These have generally borne out the claims of the manufacturers – however, the fact that these studies were funded by the toning shoe makers is enough to raise doubts about the independent nature of the tests.

A study carried out on behalf of the American Council for Exercise (ACE) was said to prove that toning shoes were ineffective. Questions have been raised concerning the validity of these tests also – doubters cite an unacceptably small sample size and an inappropriate age range of participants as factors likely to skew the results.

So, the scientific evidence is unclear and likely to remain so. However, the fact that the buying public are in love with toning shoes is irrefutable. Sales have risen dramatically – from just $ 17 million in 2008 to $ 252 million during only the first four months of 2010. Full year results are not yet available for 2010 – but sales of more than $ 1 billion are forecast.

Reebok and Skechers are the two main players in the toning shoes market at the moment. They have both seen their market share increase significantly – chiefly at the expense of market leader Nike, who have been more than a little sniffy about the whole concept of toning shoes. The market is beginning to mature and budget priced “me too” offerings are becoming increasingly available – something that will produce a downward price trend in 2011.

That should spell good news for customers. Feedback from satisfied customers has been extremely positive. Try to separate a woman from her Skecher Shape Ups or Reebok Easy Tones and you might find yourself in a life threatening situation very quickly. Nike, ACE and a variety of scientists may be overlooking this fact.

As far as women’s shoes go, taking a scientific and analytical approach is unlikely to be a successful strategy. The potential health problems associated with high heeled shoes are widely known and well established. Aside from the fact that wearing them can result in sprains, twists and falls, they lead to a posture which is bad for the body. But women everywhere still want their “killer heels”.

For busy modern women everywhere, toning shoes must look like a dream come true. Better legs and a better butt with every step – workout while you walk – get in shape without setting foot in the gym. No more than selection of the advertising slogans currently in use – and it’s easy to see why people would find toning shoes attractive based on those.

If they do everything that they claim then that’s wonderful. If they don’t, then at least you still have a nice pair of trendy new shoes. If you think about it, what have you got to lose? And – on a more practical level – if toning shoes encourage people to walk a little further and more often than normal, then that’s a very positive thing in itself.

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