Fitflops - can they really improve your muscle tone? (FitFlops)

Member Name: gemzeh

Product:	FitFlops
Date:	21/01/09 (1552 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Comfortable, available in a variety of colours, last longer than flip - flops

Disadvantages: Quite expensive, only worth buying if you will wear them often

Ahead of my trip to Florida in the summer, I did a bit of browsing online to see what items I wanted to buy in the US, and where I should get them. I wanted to make the most of the cheap exchange rate at the time so did lots of 'window shopping' in advance online. Following this, top of my 'must buy' list were a pair of Fit Flop shoes, which I had researched before I left. As soon as I hit the Florida Mall, I headed straight to the footwear section in Macy's to bag myself a pair!

Fit...flops? What on earth are they?

Fitflops are flip-flop shoes that have been specially designed to have a sole that places your heel at a different level to your toes to 'destabilise' the foot when you walk. This means your body uses more muscles when you walk than it would if you were wearing an ordinary shoe. The company that makes Fitflops claims that FitFlops have been proven to "increase the amount of time that the gluteus maximus muscle is 'activated' during every single step". This essentially means that the shoes give your bum a workout, every time you take a step. They also claim your legs get a workout too, and that they can also really tone your calf muscles.

Do they look nice?

The shoes themselves look like ordinary flip flops, although they have a more distinctive look as they have quite a wide strap that goes over the foot, with a circle in the centre of the strap that says 'fitflop'. I didn't particularly want to advertise that I was buying random bum workout shoes, so I bought the black ones as they look more like regular flip flops! Before deciding on the more subtle black ones, however, I did have a look at all the different colours. At the moment there are quite a few colours available, ranging from the subtle black and navy blue colours to the more vibrant red (see above photo). There is a good range of colours, and the shoes look quite funky - like a more sturdy and chunky flip flop.

Are they decent shoes?

When I first bought these, I wasn't sure if they would be comfortable to wear all time, as they are supposed to provide a workout for your legs and I was worried that my legs might be too tired to wear them often! However, I decided to wear them to a theme park, with some backup flip-flops in my rucksack, just in case I needed to change into something else for comfort reasons. I found Fit Flops to be really comfortable and easy to walk in, and I didn't need to change my shoes, as the Fit Flops were perfectly adequate, and didn't hurt at all.

The next day we went to another theme park and I kept the backup shoes in my bag, as my legs were feeling a bit tight from walking in my fitflops the day before. I got used to this feeling (my legs felt as if they had walked much further than they had), and although I kept the 'backup' shoes with me, I never needed to wear them as the fitflops were comfortable enough to wear for the whole trip.

Do Fitflops really help tone up legs and bums?

Whilst wearing the Fitflops over the summer, (I wore them pretty continuously for a few months), I did notice an improvement to the muscle tone in my legs, although I did do lots of walking over that time period. I think the Fitflops have played a part in this improved muscle tone, and I can't wait to start wearing them again when the weather gets warmer! I didn't notice any particular improvement in muscle tone in other areas of my body, but I was only really making a point of checking out how toned my legs were! I would recommend these shoes for improving muscle tone, but only buy them if you're going to wear them for quite a large amount of time if you're only buying them for the toning aspect. I would buy them anyway as they are sturdier than most flip flops and I can tell they will last me longer than flip-flops usually do. Fitflops also have a higher sole than the majority of flip-flops, and so they have the added bonus of making me look taller!

Where can I get these from?

Although I got my Fitflops from the States, these are also available for purchase in the UK, including online from http://www.fitflopshoes.co.uk , which also gives a list of suppliers. They are also available in store at John Lewis, and usually cost about £35.

Are they worth the money?

As the shoes are very expensive compared to normal flip-flops, I would suggest you only buy them if you're going to get a lot of wear out of them. I definitely think they are worth the money as I have seen improvement to my muscle tone, and find them really comfortable to walk in.

Summary: My muscle tone has improved whilst wearing these shoes