Shape up by stepping into natural instability?

My bestie is about my size but she’s fitter than me for sure, having practiced fencing and yoga for a couple of years. However, I was quite surprised to find out how fast she can walk these days. When we were in Bangkok in March, I had a hard time catching up with her speed because she can walk really fast even when she was carrying loads of stuff! It was later that I found out that it’s because of her Skechers Shape-ups Hyper Blast shoes. Apparently, on top of toning her muscles, the shoes have been helping her to shed some weight.

A challenge to wear
Prior to learning about these shoes, I had thought their soles were not much different from FitFlop sandals but I was wrong! My bestie had told me that these shoes are quite a challenge and I didn’t know what she meant until I tried them out myself. Oh, they’re difficult to wear all right! Because they’re shaped differently – like a boat – I had to constantly try to maintain my balance while walking in them. To do that, I had to lift my foot up while walking and I could feel the shoes weighing down my leg muscles. And to nobody’s surprise, I gave up promptly and ran a mile away from them afterwards. It’s a good thing I don’t have a weight issue to want to consider wearing these shoes ever!

MBT footwear
But it looks like these shoes are in good demand, even though they’re not that sexy looking and they’re not cheap at all. I visited the MBT store over at Marina Square with my bestie because she wanted to check out their shoes; she was told they were even better than Skechers’. We took a look at the price tag and just left the store quite quietly because they were in the range of about S$300 or so. But it was something interesting for me as I found out that the positive effect of the MBT is based on the principle of “natural instability”. Here are some information gleaned from their website:

The key to the MBT is the patented sole construction, at the heart of which is the soft Masai Sensor. It is located directly beneath the heel and simulates walking and standing on uneven ground. This creates a natural instability, to which the body responds with small, intuitive, compensatory movements. The midsole, with its integrated balancing area, requires an active and controlled rolling movement with every step. In conjunction with the Masai Sensor, the body’s entire musculoskeletal system is activated and exercised, the muscles in the buttocks, stomach and back are strengthened, posture and gait are kept relaxed and upright6; and stress on the joints; and back is relieved.

Perseverance is key
Well, based on my experience and my bestie’s testimony, I think such shoes do better justice if you really want to shape up your behind, so to speak. But you’ve got to be determined to want to wear them regularly since they’re pretty challenging and I know a number of people who gave up wearing them, even though they’ve paid through their nose to get these shoes. But if you persevere enough, you should see some good results. In the words of my bestie: “these shoes really make me PERSPIRE!”

So any of you tried such shoes before? Any positive results for you too?

Comments

  1. OSeñorita says:

    I’m quite curious with these shoes. But they’re too pricey!!!

  2. OSeñorita says:

    Ooops…those shoes.

  3. sesame says:

    They are!

  4. LatestGirls says:

    I have never try this type of shoes earlier but I would like to try out it in future.

  5. sesame says:

    It’s pretty challenging to wear but give it a try…who knows…you might like it.

  6. sel says:

    I still prefer shoes to be comfy when walking…..

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