Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Rockin' The Reeboks

How does my backside look?

Sheila here. Don't answer that! It's a hypothetical question for the 'blog only! But here's the thing. I really think my Reebok EasyTone shoes are helping my thighs and backside. Is it all in my mind? Maybe.

Ric, Katie, and Eric bought me a pair of EasyTones for my birthday last year. The scientist who came up with these body balancing shoes is a former NASA engineer. Reebok claims four out of five women studied got tighter backsides and hamstrings from exercising in the trendy kicks. And as you can imagine, women started snapping the shoes off of store shelves.

My friend Jan started wearing them while cleaning the house and taking walks around her neighborhood. She swore they were working. I got my birthday pair and starting wearing them to the gym. My trainer, Ennis at Five Seasons, said the balance balls built into the shoes would be a nice add-on to my exercise routine. I think my balance has improved, and I'll say this. There's a ton of cushion in the shoes, so my feet always feel fantastic when I'm wearing them.

Since Reebok made its initial claim, a lot of articles have pointed out that Reebok only used five women in the study, and exercise experts have poo-poo'd the findings. However, Harvard psychologist Ellen J. Langer has studied the connections between mindfulness, exercise and health. She told the New York Times, "It will probably result in even more walking, with the implicit and explicit virtues endemic to exercise." (Translation: if we feel good about it, we'll do it!)

I bought my second pair of EasyTones during the after Christmas sales earlier this month, and I think the new version is even more comfortable than the old. I got pair #2 for a steal, just $35 dollars because they were on clearance. So if they're not making my bottom line more firm, that's okay. I feel good about wearing them, and if I feel better about working out because of a little help from my shoes, that can't be a bad thing.

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