You Think You Know - But You Have No Idea

Saturday, July 16, 2011

SHAPE UP!

So, I read a little article in a 'newsletter email' from STT (smarter team training) about the new (ish) fad of the various 'shape up / toning' shoes... maining for... well CHICKS...
So the article was basically about the science behind the shoes... do the shoes REALLY activate the muscles in your lower limbs just by simply... well wearing them? Multiple studies with multiple groups of women in multiple parts of the world, fortunatly, or unfortunatly, (depending on you who are considering) have shown that no the shoes do not heighten the muscle activation in your legs by simply wearing them.
However, there is a heightened amount of muscle activation (esp of the feet/calf) when you initially wear such a shoe, and this is most likely due to the 'wobbly' 'uneasiness' or walking / moving in the shoe, so you are unstable and thus your feet / calf muscles go into overdrive, but once you get used to how the shoe wobbles/rocks... the mucle activation goes back to normal...
So, I don't want to completly knock all types of 'toning' 'shape up' shoes... bc I guess they do kinda work, a little... but lets me for real ladies... do you really think a pair of $50-80 shoes are going to get you 'toned' and 'in-shape?' Lo siento but I do not think it works that way.
Now, I think if you are an elder person, or a person with other 'injury' etc issues in which they cannot work out in any capacity, besides walking... then I would probably say, sure go ahead try them (as long as its not a 'fall liablity' i.e an older person with a history of falls, or whom might fall if wearing an 'unstable' shoe).
So ladies, I hope we can eventually learn from the gimicks that are constantly being thrown at us about 'losing weight' and 'getting in shape' and maybe we will all turn to a real gym and do some sort of real exercise as opposed to buying the 'next best thing in keeping fit/toned'.

GIRL POWER!

~KIK~