A little tune to start your day perhaps?

This has been on repeat in my office at work for about 2 weeks now – I’m loving it! Beware to my spin class participants… if I find a good remix it will most definitely be making its way into one of my Sunday morning workouts!

While you enjoy Foster the People, I want to tell you about a different sort of pumped up kicks, ones that I got to take for a test drive on Monday night.

Ever since various athletic brands started coming out with toning shoes – you know, the ones that are supposed to tone up your lower body while you go about your day-to-day activities – I’ve been a little skeptical. However, I was recently given the opportunity to humour my inner skeptic at a bootcamp in Toronto, sponsored by Skechers Fitness. The event took place at Cardio Go, formerly King West Club.

Immediately upon arrival, I was kitted out with some shoes. I had a choice of colours, but because I tend to be drawn to all things pink, the decision was fairly easy.

I also noticed a familiar face, Sam from Health, Happiness, and Skinny Jeans!

As a kid, I begged my mum to buy me Skechers as my shoes for gym class, but she refused because “they had a platform that would make me sprain my ankle.” Looking back, she was probably wise – some of those shoes did have some unnecessary height that no child should be running around in! However, times are a changin’ (and oh my I feel old saying that). Now, Skechers makes a few different styles of fitness shoe, including designs meant for walking, training, trails, running, and for wearing every day at work. At the bootcamp, I was given a pair of Tone-Ups to lunge, squat, and walk around in. Tone-Ups are designed to increase calorie burn, build endurance and tone muscles.

Myself and the other ladies in attendance learned about the shoes and the swanky technology in the soles.

Then, after discussing proper form, we were put to work with a few circuits.

So what did the shoes feel like? Well, I was pleasantly surprised! The Tone Ups were actually much more comfortable than some of the regular running and cross training shoes I’ve tried. They had a lot of cushioning in them which I loved because my feet tend to get pretty sore from pounding the treadmill every day! The instability was definitely noticeable, but not so much that it would throw off your technique in a strength workout.

Do they really tone up your muscles? I don’t think you’d be able to expect noticeable results if you’re not already active and moving about in the first place – they’re definitely not that kind of miracle shoe! However, when incorporated into existing workout routines, I think they definitely add a nice extra challenge. I’ll be wearing them for some of my strength workouts in the near future!

Before leaving, everyone was given a big swag bag filled with more Skechers goodies.

All in all, it was a really fun experience, and thanks so much to Skechers for the opportunity to participate!

So tell me..

  • What are your thoughts on shoes like Tone-Ups and Shape-Ups? Have you tried them before? Do you think they work?

Note: While I received the free shoes from Skechers for attending the class, I have received no further compensation. The opinions expressed in this post are my own based on my limited experience with the product.

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