Since the GGS Crew are doing a whole series on ‘toning shoes’, I started to do some more research on the topic and found these on youtube. Tell me what you think of these commercials for Reebok Easy Tone…they are super short and worth the watch…

And this one:

And there are way more on youtube but these two are ones that I found the most sexiest.  Do these commercials make you want to go buy Easy Tone Reebok?  Do you think they are way too sexiest?  Please do tell us in the comments below and we will meet you there with our two cents worth!

Check out our Quick Toning Shoes Review Guide to help you pick the ones that are for you.

The following is a post sponsored by Fitness Footwear.  

Flip flops that are actually good for your feet and tone your body at the same time?  Sounds too good to be true, right?  We were thrilled when Fitness Footwear sent us a pair of FitFlops for one lucky GGS girl to review! 

When I opened the box, I thought the pair sent to me was totally cute.  They looked like a wedge sandal at approx. one inch height.  I love a wedged shoe!  Very sporty looking and I liked that the FitFlop logo on the front was not too visible.  Being from Western Canada, we can’t really wear flip flops until April,(if we are lucky) so I tried them on a recent trip to Cancun in March.  I wore them for about one hour there and the strap between my toes managed to create a huge blister.  I am not sure if it was because my sensitive feet were not used to that strap in between my toes after a long winter or if it was these shoes in particular.  So off they went until the nasty blister healed.  

Spring forward, I tried them on again when I got home, wearing them for the full day.  I have to tell you what I exactly experienced.  The  mid-sole is suppose to work your balance by slightly destabilizing your footing in the same way that a wobble board would.  It is almost like you have to curl your toes to walk in them.  These FitFlops don’t really ‘flip and flop’.  You don’t hear them like regular flip flops probably because your toes are so curled…. 

They were very comfortable for the whole day that I had them on.  I did not feel any burn or sensation in my legs, calves or buttock, like a work out. Or even like the Earth Footwear I reviewed.  I do however, think they do make your legs work a little harder when walking, so how cool is that!  I will continue to wear my FitFlops for the Summer and I will keep you up to date with my findings.  Yippeee to sandal season! 

Womens FitFlop Electra - Gold

They have loads of other cute, hip styles of FitFlops, check them out here~FitFlops 

This GGS girl gives FitFlops  out of 5 dumbbells.  

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

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

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

How it all began

It all began in the 1990′s when Swiss Engineer Karl Muller, who suffered from chronic back pain, vacationed in South Korea and noticed that his back pain virtually disappeared during that time. He concluded that walking barefoot on soft ground could eliminate back pain. He also found that back pain and arthritis were practically non-existent in the Masai tribe in Africa. This was contrary to our culture, where a number of people have joint and back pain and foot related problems due to factors such as walking on hard surfaces and wearing the wrong kind of shoes. This led Muller to develop a totally different shoe – one that was designed to mimic walking barefoot on uneven, soft ground such as sand, based on the principal of “natural instability”. In 1996 came the birth of the MBT shoe, which stands for Masai Barefoot Technology, also known as the “anti-shoe”, the first physiological footwear that has a positive impact on the entire body, not just the feet, unlike conventional shoes.

Continue reading the benefits of the “Toning Shoe’ and the different brands that are available…

Check out the GGS Crew very own thoughts and reviews of 4 popular “Toning Shoes” : Sketchers Shape Up, Reebook Toning Shoes, Earth Footwear and FitFlops

Have a pair? Wanna try a pair? Do you believe that any of these shoes do what they claim? Please do tell!

Imagine a shoe that doesn’t just work at the gym, it works like the gym.

That’s right. These shoes promise to tighten and tone muscles, rev the metabolism and even burn cellulite as you walk.

How effective they are seems to be up to the wearer and the faith they put in the marketing and technology of companies like Reebok, Skecher, Earth Footwear and MBT, all makers of a variety of “toning shoes.”

We wanted to take the guess work out for you and try for ourselves:  What ‘toning shoes’ work and what ones don’t?  What is the pros and cons of each of these shoes.

We were lucky enough to get our hands on these pairs of ‘toning’ shoes:

• Reebok Toning shoes-Review-check out what a GGS Member had to say
• Sketchers Shape Ups-Review-check out what a GGS Member had to say 
• EarthFoot wear Toning shoes-check out what a GGS Member had to say
• FitFlops-check out what a GGS Member had to say
• Champion Pace Toning Shoes~Check out what a GGS Member had to say
• New Balance’s Rock&Tone shoes~
• MBT’s-Check out what a GGS Member had to say

Check out our Quick Toning Shoes Review Guide to help you pick the ones that are for you.

Stay tuned for the results and the final say of each of these ‘toning’ shoes. 

Do you have a pair? Do you want to try a pair?  Please do share!

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