22 Jul 2011
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By: GLADYS CHUNG
When a bevy of svelte celebrities starts promoting fitness shoes as the secret weapon to their hot bods, it is difficult to resist buying a pair.
In March, Reebok announced that Hollywood actress Eva Mendes (right) is the new face of its Easytone range of shoes. And bootylicious American reality TV star Kim Kardashian was named the ambassador for Skechers’ Shape-up shoes in February.
About 8,000 pairs of Reebok Easytones have been sold since they were launched here last year.
Skechers has sold almost 50,000 pairs of its fitness shoes – which comprise the Shape-ups, Tone-ups and Resistance Runner lines priced from $169 – since they were launched here in 2009.
Meanwhile Swiss-based MBT, a pioneer of the “rocker-bottom” shoes, has seen annual sales jump 35per cent since the brand made its debut here in 2008. There are four lines – Activate, Dynamic, Performance and Ultimate – priced from $269.
Fitness shoe makers claim you can better sculpt your posterior and calves and improve your posture with every step. The shoes usually feature “rocker bottoms”, outwardly curved soles which create instability when one walks.
To compensate for the lack of balance, one has to stand straighter and work harder with every step, thus toning the legs and buttocks.
This is why more time-pressed Singaporeans are sold on the idea of burning extra calories with every step. Most buyers are female executives in their 30s and middle-aged retirees who value comfort and are health-conscious, say retailers.
But how well do these shoes measure up to the claims? Theoretically, they can work, say experts.
For example, shoes that shift the feet’s first contact with the ground to the front or middle of the foot lead to increased calf muscle use, explains Dr Roger Tian, a sports physician and deputy medical director of the Singapore Sports Medicine Centre.
Some of these shoes are also heavier than regular sports shoes, so more muscle effort is required, he adds.
He declines to say how long one would need to wear them as results vary.
Ms Marabelle Heng, a podiatrist at the Singapore General Hospital, notes that rocker-bottom shoes redistribute pressure away from areas such as the heels, thus providing relief to people with pain in those areas.
Such shoes can also benefit those with stiff joints, as the rocking movement might help some to move forward in spite of their joints, she says.
However, she has yet to recommend any of these shoes to her patients due to the lack of scientific evidence of their effectiveness.
Dr Tian advises that you use the fitness shoes progressively to reduce the risk of injuries: Start by walking in them for 10 to 15 minutes a day, then increase this by five to 10 minutes each week. Stop wearing the shoes if you feel pain or discomfort.
He says: “Those with a history of foot injuries, such as sprains, ligament injuries in the knees and back pain, should exercise caution because using the wrong footwear may aggravate an existing injury or trigger a new one.”
There are also doctors who remain unconvinced about the effectiveness of such shoes.
Says Dr Tan Jee Lim, a consultant orthopaedic sports surgeon at the JL Sports Medicine and Surgery at Gleneagles Medical Centre: “It would be presumptuous to assume that everyone has the same gait and that one shoe design by one company suits every one.
“These shoes are designed with the explicit idea that you can get a workout without going to the gym. There is no substitute for a gym workout.”
He adds: “At best, they should be seen as a supplement to your main routine.”
Urban road-tests five pairs – Crocs Tone, MBT, Skechers Shape-ups, FitFlops and Reebok Easytone – to see how they measure up.
Email: gladysc@sph.com.sg
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