Review: Earth Footwear

You may have noticed a lot of hoopla lately about ergonomic soles and specially designed shoes that are all about helping you develop muscle tone as you walk around. Brands like Reebok and even Skechers have emerged in the marketplace as lifestyle brands, garnering attention from celebrities and people nationwide because of their funky look and healthy benefits.

Well, I certainly did notice.  And, I was more than happy when Earth Footwear sent us a pair of their ‘toning shoes’ to try out.  Mel had already tried out the Reebok Easy Tone, and she was thrilled with the results.  Would these shoes stack up?

When the shoes first arrived, I was very surprised on how ‘normal’ they looked to compared to some ‘toning’ shoes.  They were super cute, all leather, with PINK detail.  Upon picking them up, they were definity  heavier than my normal pair of mesh running shoes.  OK, enough about the appearance, let put these shoes to the test!

After putting them on, you notice the incline (3.7 degrees to be exact) on your heel right away.  It feels like you are slightly unbalance but still they were very comfortable from the get go. I am a size 8 in every shoe I buy but these felt like they might have been a sixe 8.5.  I also do have a wide foot and they seem to fit very wide as I still had wiggle room left.

I powered walked on the treadmill for 1 hour at a 3.8 speed and an incline of 3.0, which is regular workout for my resting cardio day.  I did not do the recommended Break-In Period as I am a fairly fit person.  I definitely could feel it my calves more than normal, but as for my butt or abs I did not notice any difference after the hour.  I did also notice that I did stand up straighter in these shoes.  After the hour was up, my feet were super warm.  I am not sure if it is because these shoes are made with all leather materials (like I said, my usual ones have mostly light weight mesh) or if it was because of the BioFoam™ Cushioning.

I did try these shoes in another setting, walking outdoors.  This time I wore one Earth Footwear and one of my regular shoes.  I made sure to go into a less populated area and wear extremely long pants to hide the fact that it looked like I was losing my mind.  Once again I could really feel my calves tightening from the ‘toning’ shoes, which I did love knowing I was doing ‘extra’ for my body while walking. 

By the end of 2 weeks, of walking in these shoes either on the treadmill or outside, I could feel a tighter more toned me.  To be honest, I don’t want to walk in anything else.  Not only for the comfort but for also knowing I am doing a ‘little bit’ extra than my other shoes can do. 

As for the price, these ‘toning’ shoes are a great deal compared to some others out there.  The average price was $69.00 for the Earth Footwear shoes that I reviewed.  They come in some really cute dressier styles and since they don’t look odd, I would definitely buy another pair to wear to work. 

This GGS girl gives Earth Footwear  out of 5 dumbbells. 

And Earth®  brand  is preparing to celebrate its 40th birthday on April 22nd, 2010. 

Happy Birthday Earth®!

Have any more questions about this review?  Please feel free to email me: sian at girlgetstrong dot com.  The review for these shoes goes on…watch for a follow-up at a later date!

We are putting ’TONING’ Shoes to the ulimate test! See which ones the GGS crew think you should try out!

Wanna win a pair of Earth Shoes?  Everyday until April 21st, Earth®s  giving away a pair of Earth® Footwear each business day – and then a whopping 22 pairs on April 22nd, Earth Day! Click here for more details!

Reviews on Girlgetstrong.com reflect the personal opinion of the writer, whether it is good, bad or ugly.  No compensation was accepted by me or GGS Media Corporation for this review