Toning Footwear Put To The Test…
So your big day is rapidly approaching and you’ve promised yourself that you’re going to work on toning yourself up just that extra little bit! A great idea in theory but with so much to do it’s so hard to find the time to get down to the gym or the park. This is where toning footwear comes in! This special footwear works out your legs with every step you take so even a day at the office or running around meeting suppliers and looking at venues can be like a workout! I’ve tried out several different styles of toning footwear for a month to bring you my top 3…
Good for Toning and Exercising
Reebok EasyTone £75
Since the launch of EasyTone in 2009, millions of women have embraced the toning benefits of these trainers. Not only to they tone up your bottom and legs they actually look pretty cute too! TheEasyTone trainers activate key leg muscles, providing you with a shoe that you can wear all day long that works your muscles whilst you walk.
Developed by Reebok’s Advanced Innovation team, EasyTone features unique balance pods with moving air based on the benefits of instability training. In EasyTone, the balance ball-inspired ‘balance pods ‘with moving air create softness and micro-instability in the sole of the shoe which forces muscles to adapt therefore increasing muscle activation and making key leg muscles work harder with every step.
The first thing I liked about the EasyTones was the way they looked, a lot of toning shoes can be quite bulky but these one appeared to look just like my regular exercise trainer. When you first put them on they feel a little weird, like you are bouncing, but you get used to that very quickly. After wearing them for a few hours during the day I could definitely feel that my muscles had been worked later on that evening and after whole month of use I was pretty sure that my buttocks were looking a more toned! It could have been that they just encouraged me to get out to the gym a little more often than usual but either way I’m happy!
www.reebok.com
Good For All Round Wellbeing and Everyday Wear
Tenga High Black Boots (full grain leather) £299
MBT is the physiological footwear brand that encourages people to step into a stronger body while walking and standing.
The unique health concept behind MBT was developed over 10 years ago and they are now recommended by doctors, podiatrists and physiotherapists to provide a simple, everyday solution. Put simply, MBT’s concept of natural instability offers a unique way to help increase your sense of wellbeing. Not bad for a shoe!
MBTs reproduce the effect of standing or walking on soft, naturally uneven ground which helps activate often neglected stabiliser muscles in your legs. They also have a specially designed ‘balance area’ which can help promote an upright posture whether standing or walking and a curved sole which promotes a gentle rolling in the step which can help with relieving stress on the joints and the lower back.
I wore my MBTs for one month and found that they really helped with my posture, I have always had pretty poor posture and my family commented on the fact that it seemed to have improved since I’d been wearing the boots. I also suffer a lot from neck ache after a whole day spent sitting at a computer and that seems to have eased up a little, it could be a coincidence but I think my MBTs definitely had something to do with this. As well as the above benefits the boots were incredibly comfy, like walking on bouncy clouds! They go well with leggings or skinny jeans and have kept me really warm over the last few weeks since the weather has turned cold!! Not cheap at £299 but they are 100% leather and in my opinion they are a good investment that will last.
MBTs are available at premium retailers across the UK as well as online at harrods.com and johnlewis.com
Good For Toning and Taking on Honeymoon
Fitflop Walkstar 3 £45
FitFlop footwear, which is approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), is biomechanically engineered to help tone and tighten your leg muscles while you walk. Studies at the Centre for Human Performance at London South Bank University (LSBU) show that normal walking in FitFlop sandals can help increase leg and bottom muscle activity, absorb more shock than a regular shoe and reduce pressure on the foot.
FitFlop sandals wearers have also reported relief from plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, chronic back pain, sciatica, osteoarthritis, RLS (restless leg syndrome), scoliosis and degenerative disc disease so if you suffer from any of these conditions then they are definitely worth checking out.
The thing I love about the Fitflops is that they really do look like regular flipflops and they have so many different designs and colours that there is something suited to everybody’s taste. They are super comfy and make you feel like you are walking on air. Many of them also have a soft suede lining on the inside of the straps which makes them even more comfortable as you don’t have that sweaty rubber strap giving you blisters as with so many other flipflops. As for the toning I could definitely feel my thighs and legs felt tighter after wearing them all day. They definitely get my thumbs up for those looking for a comfy pair of shoes for their honeymoon, especially if you intend to do lots of walking around.
