Most women need no incentive or encouragement to buy a pair of shoes, so when shoes come along with a promise from the manufacturer that merely walking in it will tone your legs and your buttocks… well, who can possibly resist?
Okay, so for the sake of full disclosure: we’re not exactly talking about a pair of impossibly high (and highly priced), seductively red soled Christian Louboutins here. These miraculously muscle-toning shoes are more like a pair of takkies, actually. But even if you’re not a bok for sports or a fan of the sporty look, Reebok’s disclaimer that its EasyTone walking shoes will leave the leg and butt muscles of its wearers toned might be enough of an incentive for you to finally kick off your strappy sandals and to walk a mile – or two – in these shoes.
The EasyTone’s secret is that it creates a sense of instability for its wearers, forcing them to use their muscles to balance themselves. The design came about when a former NASA engineer, one Mr. McInnis, was inspired by the Bosu ball, a small half-sphere used in gyms for exercisers to stand on during workouts. He ended up applying the same technology to the footwear. Because of its instability, the EasyTone should only be walked in and wearers are discouraged from running or jumping in it.
Other women have already swopped their stiletto boots for these booty toning trainers. According to an article in the New York Times, the EasyTone line is parent company Adidas’ most successful new product in five years. This is no mean feat when one considers all the brands and designers out there tripping over themselves to shod women’s feet.
The EasyTone range is available in South Africa from online retailer edreams.co.za for R999.
