Sculpt your legs as easily as a pot?

The latest talk of the town is shoes…shoes that promise to sculpt your legs as you wear them.  Everyone seems to have conflicting views on whether or not they actually work, so let me also put in my two pence.

Although loads of companies are launching this kind of footwear now (from Sketchers to New Balance to Reebok), Fit Flops are the only ones I am properly familiar with.   These slippers are “biomechanically engineered to help tone and tighten your leg muscles while you walk in them”.  In my opinion, they aren’t the most fashionable pair of shoes.  While they were totally hideous when they first came out, the company seem to be jazzing up their collections by embellishing them with stones and sequins.  That being said, they are still far too clumpy for my liking. 

In terms of comfort, I swear by them.  My Fit Flops are probably one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I own (shhh- don’t tell that to my UGGs).  This is probably because of the solid grip they offer my feet as well as their cushion surface.  Also, their platform makes them ideal for maintaining pedicures in Mumbai.  Despite all the crap (both metaphorically and literally) on the road, my feet never seem to get dirty after my walk home from the gym.  I feel like I finally have the perfect pair of footwear for when the monsoons come knocking.

HOWEVER

Despite their claim to ‘tone your legs as you walk’, I’m not convinced.  I don’t buy into the gimmick aspect of it.  Like crash dieting, ‘crash’ exercising just doesn’t work.  We are not Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and putting on a certain pair of footwear will not magically get us where/what we want.  Just eat healthily and engage in regular physical activity and you will surely reap the benefits, both physically and mentally.  However, if wearing these kinds of shoes encourages you to walk more, then they most certainly will help tone your legs…as would an ordinary, $10 pair of flip flops. 

So do they get a thumbs up or a thumbs down from me?

• Thumbs up if you want comfort and protection from the wears and tears on roads
• Thumbs down if you are hoping they will get you the legs of a ballerina.  Quit fooling yourself and get to the gym 🙂