Do their fitness claims have a leg to stand on?
Sometimes in our Fact Finder Reports we examine bills, or taxes, and sometimes, well, it's shoes!
With swimsuit and shorts season right around the corner, a viewer wrote us asking if the claims made by those shaper shoes, really have a leg to stand on.
The answers we found for her are tonight's Fact Finder Report.
Linda Prechtl hits the gym three times a week to keep fit, but tries to stay in shape with each step with specially designed toning sneakers. She says, "I just put them on and said, I like 'em let's go! I found they made me walk straighter, they gave me, at least this is the way I felt, they made my legs feel better, they made my calves feel better, they just feel good and I like 'em!"
Millions of Americans agree and shoe companies are cashing in developing dozens of varieties all with one goal: to tone.
Vern Gauthier is the Vice President of Fit for You Health Club. He's been in the fitness industry for 25 years and has seen a lot of trends come and go, but says basic body mechanics remain the same. "They claim they are going to work your glutes, they're going to work your thighs, they're going to work your hamstrings and they're not. They're like walking on a stabilizing ball. So they best they are going to do is work the stabilizing muscle groups in your ankles, knees, which is not the most superficial muscles, not the muscles you can see, but the internal muscles."
Gauthier says most of us don't use those smaller internal muscles as often so the shoes can act as a wake up call. He says, "You will feel it and when you first start wearing a pair of shoes like that it will make you a little bit sore. You're going to feel that but once the body adapts to it, that's going to come to an end."
At the end of the day, Gauthier says what you get out of your health has to do, in large part with what you put into your mouth. He says, "80% is going to be nutrition, 20% is going to be exercise, the shoes, I'm not even going to give them a %. They're not really coming into play. It's just another avenue for a quick fix."
But where the shoes might pay off is with motivation. Gauthier says, "Really if you get out and buy the shoes and it makes you walk more, it's a benefit!"
So the shoes might not be a quick fix, but they're not all hype either. Here's something else to keep in mind. If you do get the shoes, follow the directions. There have actually been cases of people who have hurt themselves, either by overusing normally underused muscles, or even falling, because the point of the shoe is to make you a little unstable.
So where do you stand on the toning shoe debate? A lot of people really love them, do you? What are your experiences? I want to hear from you. Share your thoughts below.
