Fit Flops: Sandals That Will Make You More Fit?

by Andrea

flip flops and sandals, foot stretches, walking

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fit-flops-sandals.jpg Fit Flops are a new walking sandal designed to boost your fitness level as you stroll about town in them.

A recent 20/20 story profiled the sandals that many are purchasing for over $50 each.  Over a billion and a half pairs of FitFlops have been sold.

Oprah loves them and named them as one of her favorite things.  People keep buying them.

So they must be good right?

FitFlops: The Claims

Well, it appears that FitFlops may be more of a flop than a fitness tool!

The way Fit Flops are supposed to work is to cause you to activate your butt muscles when you walk, due to the soft inner core.  They should cause your body to work even harder than it would if you were to go barefoot.

Here are the major benefits of going barefoot.

However, according to this 20/20 video, it appears that FitFlops may actually cause the wearer to begin some bad habits and may actually be damaging to the feet.  Tests run by 20/20 show that while Fit Flops make your legs and butt work harder with each step, they actually may make the foot pronate, or roll inward in an unhealthy way.

The reporter’s trainer did not see any difference from his walking with FitFlops.  Dr. Lisa Calahan from New York’s Hospital for special surgery was not impressed either.  A pronating foot can lead to leg and foot pain and possibly damage.

 

Dr. Scholl’s, FitFlops, What’s Next?

Fit Flops are not exactly a new invention.

You might remember the wooden Dr. Scholl’s sandals from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.  They were marketed as footwear with a promise to exercise and tone your legs.  I remember them being fashionable and causing my calf muscles a little soreness (…which of course meant I did not walk very far in them).

It appears that Dr. Scholl’s have made a comeback, as well.

The other problem I had with the Dr. Scholl’s shoes was the racket they made when you walked…. (…And you thought regular flip-flops were noisy!)

Still some people think they are comfortable.

Personally, I think they are really cute shoes.  They remind me of a cross between a flip flop and a tennis shoe. However, at $50 a pop, I will stick to flip flops from the dollar store.  Unlike Oprah, my money doesn’t grow on trees!

UPDATE: As time goes on, the price of Fitflops keeps going down.

As for a shoe to wear to get more exercise, I strongly suggest walking shoes.  Or, a better idea might be those Z-Coil shoes that alleviate foot and back pain as you walk.

Why can’t we just wear a casual pair of flip flops in peace?”  Source

 

Here’s another review of Fitflops.