Skechers Fined For Misleading Advertising

Skechers is the latest footwear company to find itself in trouble as a result of its toning shoes advertising campaigns. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) decided that claims made on behalf of the company’s toning shoes – which include Skechers Shape Ups, Resistance Runners, Toners and Tone-Ups – were false.

The FTC alleges that studies which Skechers used to support claims made in their advertisements for their famous rocker bottomed toning shoes were fundamentally flawed and, in places, factually incorrect. The FTC also pointed out that two out of four studies which were supposed to prove that Shape Ups were good for you were conducted by a doctor who is married to a senior vice president of marketing at Skechers – a clear conflict of interests.

Skechers were fined $ 40 million. Consumers who bought Skechers toning shoes after August 1st, 2008, may contact the FTC for a refund directly – or they may visit this website.

Skechers continues to dispute the charges and says that it agreed to a settlement in order to avoid the legal cost of fighting lawsuits. Skechers also advises that it will continue to conduct additional studies.

Michael Greenberg, the president of Skechers, issued a formal company statement as follows:

“The Company fully stands behind its toning shoe products and technology and is permitted under the settlement to continue to advertise that wearing rocker-bottom shoes like Shape-ups can lead to increased leg muscle activation, increased calorie burn, improved posture and reduced back pain.”

Whilst $ 40 million is not a trifling sum, considering that toning shoe sales in 2011 ran at an estimated $ 1 billion, and that Skechers are the market leaders, it may not be a killer blow for Skechers. It would still be a brave man who tried to separate his wife from her Shape Ups.

FitFlop Rock Chic Toning Sandals

FitFlop Rock Chic – Strictly Limited Supply

One of the big selling points of the toning shoes in the FitFlop range has always been the fact that they don’t look anything like fitness footwear. They look like bright, colorful, chic and -  let’s be honest – downright funky fashion shoes that will suit a smart-casual or Boho-chic look.

The FitFlop Rock Chic sandal has really taken that to the extreme. It’s encrusted with Swarovski crystals for a super shiny, sparkly and shimmery look – and it’s in strictly limited supplies. Mind you, with a price tag of $ 250, you might suspect that these won’t be selling out too quickly. Of course, if you like them and you want them, that might be a price worth paying.

FitFlop Rokkit Women’s Toning Sandals

As an alternative, if you like the look of the Rock Chic, but think that $ 250 for a pair of flip flop sandals – even ones that look that good and help you to get in shape – is a bit of a stretch, why not take a look at the FitFlop Rokkit sandals?

Every bit (in our opinion) as sparkly, stylish and shiny as the Rock Chic, the Rokkit sandals are covered with shimmering crystal beads on a soft leather strap.

Admittedly, they’re not Swarovski – but shiny is shiny right?

The rubber sole is exactly the same microwobbleboard toning sole that is used on all the shoes in the FitFlop range. Long story short – every step that you take in your FitFlop Rokkit sandals will help you to tone your legs and trim your bottom.

You get the same shimmering style, and the same toning benefits as the Rock Chic – but at a fraction of the price. The Rokkit sandals usually sell for somewhere between $ 80 and $ 100 and come in Black Diamond (shown above), Bronze Ore and Silver Nova.

The Potential Benefits Of Toning Footwear

If you find yourself too busy to take exercise on a regular basis, or even if the idea of a trip to the gym just isn’t your cup of tea, you might want to take a look at toning shoes. Toning footwear helps to give wearers a lower body workout just by walking around.

This is done by the use of a special design of sole, which injects imbalance into the walking process. There are different designs of sole to be found in different brands and styles on the market today, but the basic operating principle in all cases is the addition of imbalance.

This makes the lower body muscles work harder as they respond by trying to restore the body’s natural balance. The end result is that you get a lower body workout that will trim your bottom and tone your legs as you walk around as normal during the course of your daily routine.

Every step that you take will help you to get into better shape. It’s ideal for busy career women and/or soccer moms who have heavy demands on their time. Just put one foot in front of the other – no need to schedule time for a trip to the gym – and you can get into better shape.

There are a variety of different brands and styles to choose from. Skechers Shape Ups and Reebok EasyTones are two of the best known brands – but there are plenty of others available. Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) Shoes, Avia and FitFlops are other well known brands which are well worth a look.

The principle of imbalance is common across all toning shoes, but the aesthetics and styling varies quite a bit. Try to choose a style that will go with the types of outfits that you normally wear. that way you’ll be able to wear your toning shoes more often and will get better value for money – as well as increased toning benefits – from them.

New Marks And Spencer Toning Shoes Compete With FitFlops

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, in which case FitFlop toning shoes must be really rather flattered just at the moment. FitFlops launched back in 2007 and were the first toning flip flop type sandals. Some stores were selling 4,000 pairs a week and many customers actually had to go on a waiting list in order to get their hands on a pair of FitFlop sandals.

Since then FitFlops have gone global and have enjoyed huge success worldwide. New styles have been added to the range which now includes sneakers, slippers, clogs and boots as well as the original sandals.

Women love the brightly colored styles on offer which, because they look nothing like fitness footwear, can be worn with outfits, and in situations, where sporty shoes wouldn’t work so well. Being able to wear FitFlops with a wider range of outfits means that wearers get better value for money and also benefit from increased toning benefits.

As is often the case with such successful products, there have been a number of lookalike shoes brought to market. Some of these were really rather low quality imports without any real research behind them. However, the latest toning sandal comes from none other than UK retailing giant Marks and Spencer.

The M&S clone sandals cost less than FitFlops and, to add insult to injury, are claimed to be 10% more effective than other “slimming” shoes. The sandals, to be marketed under the “Step Tone” brand name, are the result of research by sports scientists at Tubingen University in Germany.

The soles are designed to flex more than normal shoes, replicate barefoot walking and stimulate muscle activity. Whether or not FitFlop owners will switch to Step Tones in order to save a few pounds remains to be seen. However, M&S are well known for their high quality and fashionable products and may well offer sterner competition than the imitations seen to date.

The Success OF FitFlop Toning Shoes

Since they first launched in the UK, back in 2007, FitFlop toning shoes have proved to be a massive hit with busy women everywhere. They were developed as a result of a partnership between Canadian business woman and entrepreneur, Marcia Kilgore, and bio-mechanical specialists at the London South Bank University (LSBU).

The secret to their toning properties is a specially designed sole which generates imbalance and stimulates muscle activity when walking in them. The secret behind their popularity is the fact that they look very chic and fashionable.

FitFlops were originally a small collection of flip flop style sandals. They sold amazingly well when they first launched in the UK. Many people actually joined a waiting list to get hold of their FitFlops.

As a result of customer demand, new styles were added to the range – all of them every bit as bright and fashionable as the sandals – and all with the same magic toning sole. Slippers, clogs, sneakers and clogs are now available – and there are some styles available for men as well.

FitFlops are now on sale worldwide and, in the first three years following their initial launch, sold more than 4 million pairs. Many FitFlop fans have more than one pair. Some claim to have obtained relief from a variety of foot and joint problems as well as having received toning benefits.

In addition to toning the lower body, the sole of toning shoes is designed to provide extra support to the wearer’s feet and to maximize the contact area between the foot and the sole of the shoe.

This lowers the average pressure of the sole of the foot and means that FitFlops are, for most people, very comfortable to wear and to walk in. Many people use their FitFlops as work wear – and the FitFlop Gogh Pro clog is specifically aimed at health professionals who spend a long time on their feet each day.

Toning Shoes Are Big Business

One of the biggest and most profitable markets today is the fitness footwear sector. People are quite happy to pay well over $ 100 for a pair of shoes which will make them run faster, be able to jog for longer, jump higher etc. – the list goes on and on. It’s as if all you need to do is pull on a different pair of shoes and you’ll be transformed into an Olympic athlete in an instant.

However, it’s a phenomenon which has been there for a long time – and it now seems to have peaked with toning shoes. The idea behind these is that you can wear toning shoes and get a free lower body workout that will tone your lower body muscles just by walking around as you usually do every day anyway.

Toning shoes use a special design of sole which introduces a small element of imbalance into the process of walking. As a result of this, the leg and buttock muscles work a little harder than normal as they attempt to restore the natural equilibrium of the body.

That’s how toning shoes work and how they deliver a leg toning, butt trimming lower body workout. If the theory holds, then every single step that you take whilst wearing toning shoes will help you to tone up and get into better shape.

There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence in the form of user reviews around the internet that seems to suggest that toning shoe owners are happy with the results that they’re getting.

Of course, it might be possible that someone who has bought a pair of toning shoes, or been given them as a gift perhaps, might be motivated to walk a little more often than they usually do. It’s all the same in the end. If they produce results for you then does it matter if it’s because of some magic sole or because you’re walking a little further each day?

FitFlop Toning Shoes – APMA Approved

Given that toning shoes have received quite a lot of bad press recently, it might be worth noting that the toning shoes in the Fitflops range have been issued with a seal of acceptance by the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), so you can rest assured that they are good for your feet. In fact, FitFlops are a good deal better for your feet than conventional flip flop sandals thanks to the specially designed sole which provides extra cushioning and additional support for the wearer’s feet as well as delivering toning benefits.

This helps to maximize the contact area between foot and shoe, which means that the pressure exerted by your body’s weight is distributed more evenly across the soles of your feet. The result of this is a reduction in the average pressure on your feet, which makes FitFlops surprisingly comfortable. If you spend any time talking to someone who owns a pair of FitFlops, don’t be surprised if they spend a lot more time telling you about how comfortable their FitFlops are than they do talking about any toning benefits.

However, FitFlops special sole isn’t just comfortable. An element of imbalance is introduced into the process of walking by the special sole, and this makes the muscles in your lower body respond in an attempt to restore the body’s natural equilibrium. The upshot is that the muscles in your lower body work a little bit harder than they usually do – and that’s how you get your lower body workout – by doing nothing other than walking about as normal during the course of your day.

FitFlops originally started life in the UK as the result of a collaboration between busy businesswoman Marcia Kilgore and bio-mechanical specialists at the London South Bank University. Ms Kilgore found that she couldn’t find the time to visit the gym as often as she would have liked – so FitFlops were born.

FitFlops began life as a collection of colorful and fashionable flip flop style sandals, but – in response to customer demand – the range was quickly enlarged to incorporate other styles. It now includes slippers, clogs, winter boots and sneakers – all very colorful and eminently suitable to be worn with outfits, and in situations, where fitness shoes would be inappropriate. It is not simply a question of fashion and style – being able to wear your FitFlops when exercise footwear wouldn’t do means that you can use them on a regular basis, get better value for money out of them and, most significantly perhaps, maximize the magnitude of toning benefits that you will get.

The fact that a lot of people are now choosing FitFlops as work wear is a testament to their comfort. FitFlop clogs are becoming very popular with workers who spend a large part of their day on their feet. It’s because they are so comfortable, but getting a workout while you’re at work has got to be multi-tasking at its best. As a matter of fact, and again reacting to their customer’s needs, FitFlop have now launched the Gogh Pro clog, which is specially designed for health care workers who spend the majority of their working day on their feet.