Obviously, with all the footwear styles that promise us a workout as we walk, or even just stand, the #1 choice for having or maximizing an inadvertent exercise plan is what I call rocker style footwear!
I have been pursuing this for years and the good news is, these styles are getting less and less expensive!
The first style I tried, years ago, was the, still expensive MBT sneaker, and later sandals. Both are still over $200. Gulp.
Today we have Fit flops, start at $50.
Literally today,
at a possible 20% off, Reebok Easy Tone sandals at Shoe Buy and Possibly 40% off at Reebok
They are just for $60, the women’s sneakers, at Reebok’s site, run from $99 to sandals, to $125.
Click on this Easy Tone flip flop, obviously the cost effective way to try this exercise style and you will find it
at Shoe Buy. Today, below this sandal’s description is Shoe Buy’s Mother’s Day 20% Off offer.
Now this brand might be an exception. Turns out, when Shoe Buy has a discount offer, they do not tell us, or their customer service people what the exclusions are. Customer service did tell me these things tend to be on most brands though…
If this Mother’s Day discount does not apply to this, or what ever you are interested in at Shoe Buy, you can still use their $5 off offer in this page’s right column.
Now Shoe Buy only has Reebok’s Easy Tone sandals, and even so, only in two colors.
Reebok has them in 7 colors in the women’s section. They also have
this $40 Off deal to your below. When I click on it, I get no details. Perhaps I will have to take it through to checkout and see what happens…I am not quite ready for that, yet…
And here is the Easy Tone, in its gold color, flip flop at Reebok. The price is the same at either store.
Easy Tone, MBT footwear and Fitflops all work on the instability principle. What I call “Rocker style”. You can really see the rocking effect in the original, horrendously pricey MBT footwear:
This is the ultra pricey MBT Sport 2 sneaker below:
They do have sneakers with a smaller incline, or rocker middle.
I believe I have the earlier version, just as extreme at tilt.
The sandal I have, just as pricey:
They do have other styles of sandals too.
With the
MBT footwear styles, you can see where the instability comes from.
And
fitflops at Walkers Warehouse, has a Microwobbleboard inside their footbeds.
Not only do you not see where the instability comes from, you do not feel it. At least I did not.
They, like the newer Reebok Easy Tone footwear rely on instability to tone your legs and back side.
I have not tried the Easy Tone styles yet
Here is what I can tell you about the MBTs and Fit Flops.
MBTs
They take some getting use to. You really feel it, the wobble. Once I did, I really enjoyed standing around in them. I do that a lot, waiting for my child’s school to let out. Also they are fun to walk in too! They give you a nice rolling gait.
Sadly, not only does the price seem forbidding, because of the price, they remain so. I avoid wearing either these sandals or sneakers in the wet, even morning dew.
If we have a dry spell, usually called August in NJ, I will wear them a lot. They are also good for fall. Your feet do really feel protected!
MBT sandals, So far I am not finding them in a flip flop style. For me this means I go nuts trying to not get blisters. Wearing socks, trying to get the straps adjusted just right…It is a problem I have with all strappy sandals, unless they are thongs, or flip flops.
Should they ever come in a thong style, I will eventually get them and wear them to death, as I did with my, pricey but not quite so much, Birkenstock thongs. I believe the style was called Cancun, and I wish they’d bring this style back.
Fit Flops
Wore them at home first, then forgot to switch once or twice, and started to wear them every where, even to the office in the summer several times a week
Takes no time to get use to.
Because they are not expensive, I never thought twice about wearing them in the rain.
Bottom Line on will they TONE YOUR MUSCLES?
I cannot tell. I cannot say wearing either felt like a workout.
Two, not advertised, personal perhaps, reasons for to wear this style footwear.
- Relief of back and hip pains.
After a winter of wearing mere 2 inch high heeled boots my back, and especially hip, pains left. Within just two days of wearing my MBT sneakers! This was before Fitflops came out.
After that, I wore my Fitflops around the house all winter, which counter acted the ill effect on my back and hip of the heeled boots.
When my Fitflops died, I had to return to wearing my current, negative heeled, Birkenstocks. The hip pain returned within a week, and the back pains are on occasion, as opposed to never.
I might not wait much longer to try the Easy Tone thongs.
Whether it is the big bold obvious rocker MBT style or the invisible, sedate Fitflop style, this wobble board, or instability style, foot bed is sheer heaven for those amongst us with high arches.
The next great fix it the Birkenstock Blue Foot bed (Heeled). It comes in casual style too, which I take to be for flats, same price though…
But it costs $55, and just like it says, only up to a 1.5 inch heel.
The high price of getting reliable great arch support, built into a footwear style might justify the outrageous prices of these shoes and sandals. In my case this value is multiplied greatly by the hip and back pain relief.
If I can work it out to keep good records while, at the same time, wearing one pair of this footwear style consistently, I will perhaps be able to report to you its “workout” value…
A summer in Easy Tone thongs my just be the thing that will do this. They do look durable and it does not appear water could damage them….we will see.
