I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials for the shoes that make you fit? Reebok had a good commercial out earlier this year.

Anyway, I was at Fred Meyer on Monday night and saw the display for the Skechers Shape-Ups and thought I’d try on a pair. I had seen someone earlier that day wearing them (at my doctor’s appointment) and was curious. As soon as I put my foot in, I could feel that these were no ordinary shoe! When I stood up I could feel my lower legs quivering- these shoes were going to require balance. I’d be using muscles that aren’t normally used. I was very intrigued at that point. But the price: $110.

I decided not to buy them that night, I would shop around online and see if I could get them on sale someplace. Long story short, most coupons exclude the Skechers Shape-Ups, and although I could find them online for $89-$99, there was shipping on top of that. I also looked at the Reebok shoe, but reviews from other buyers favored the Skechers brand. So I went back to Fred Meyer on Wednesday and used their “$10 off Skechers” coupon and picked up a pair for $100. (That coupon expires Saturday- so if you want to get a pair you better run in quick!)

Jim laughed at me. Said there’s no way a shoe will help tone muscles or make me more fit. He was concerned that I would fall if I wore them on the treadmill. But, I was set to prove him wrong!

I put them on that night and within 10 minutes I could FEEL that they were having an effect on my legs. My outer thighs and calves were a little “sore” like I had just been exercising, almost like a muscle fatigue feeling. This was GREAT!

I was excited to get up the next morning and walk on the treadmill with these shoes. They are supposed to work best when walking at a slow pace with long strides. So I set my speed at 3.3 and walked for 25 minutes. I would occasionally set the incline fairly steep (8-10) to change things up a bit.

When I got off I didn’t have that rubber-leg feeling. I think it’s because these shoes reduce the impact on your feet and joints. Every step is a soft step, not a hard step.

After my shower I put them on again and went about my usual morning routine: getting myself ready for work, getting the kids up and ready for school, making breakfast, greeting the little kids and getting them involved in some sort of activity, getting my kids out the door, cleaning the kitchen, getting activities together, walking around and around and around…..

The shoes claim to improve your posture, reduce back and hip pain. One thing I learned is that I have a tendency to put most of my weight on my heels. In these shoes, it makes you tip backwards because of the steep rolling curve of the shoe, so standing is a challenge enough! So maybe they will help?

I wore them for about 4 hours that day. I DO think they are working because I can feel my muscles tightening in areas where they normally don’t when I’m standing or walking around. My plan is to wear them as much as possible inside the house, although times like this where I’m blogging they don’t do much good!

I’ll keep you all posted on how they work out for me!! (Keep in mind though that I have also recently started walking on the treadmill and doing Pilates workouts in the mornings, so any success I have is not due to the shoe alone!)

(And yes, I am still getting up at 5:00am….this week I walked on the treadmill every morning)