Reebok & The 25 Million Dollar ‘Toning’ Shoes

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As you may or may not have heard, this week the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that Reebok has to reimburse its customers $25 million for deceptive advertising for EasyTone and RunTone shoes, according to MSNBC.com. I just have to add that I have been telling my patients, friends, and readers this for months: if you want a ‘toned’ butt or legs, you have to actually exercise. A pair of shoes cannot do the work for you! Countless patients have come into my office with these shoes (as well as Skechers Shape-Ups and other toning shoes), asking me what I think of them. Well, there you go. That’s what I think of them.

The Federal Trade Commission states that Reebok could not support specific claims made in ads that wearing EasyTone shoes resulted in “28 percent more strength and tone in the buttock muscles, 11 percent more strength and tone in the hamstring muscles, and 11 percent more strength and tone in the calf muscles than regular walking shoes.”

The settlement bars Reebok from making claims that its shoes are effective in toning or strengthening without supporting scientific evidence. Reebok has discontinued ads that contain the claims and has asked stores to remove offending signs and displays.

If you want a refund for EasyTone shoes, just fill out the application at http://reeboksettlement.com/FTC. You will get the refunds either directly from the Federal Trade Commission or through a court-approved, class action lawsuit. The amount of refunds will be determined by a federal judge.

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

Related articles

• Reebok to Pay $25 Million in Refunds to Settle FTC Charges Over EasyTone Shoes (shoppingblog.com)
• Reebok to Refund $25 Million Over False Claims of Toning Shoes (fitsugar.com)
• Reebok Refund of $25 Million Coming to Customers Who Bought EasyTone Shoes (VIDEO) (blippitt.com)
• Reebok will offer refunds on toning shoes, clothes (sfgate.com)
• FTC Says Reebok’s Kardashian-Endorsed Butt-Sculpting EasyTone Sneakers Don’t Work (thegloss.com)
• Reebok to pay $25 million for false ad claims (marketwatch.com)
• Reebok Must Refund $25 Million to Buyers of Bogus ‘Toning Shoes’ (dailyfinance.com)
• Reebok EasyTone’s Do NOT Give You a Nice Butt (997now.radio.com)
• Reebok to Refund Customers $25 Million Over Toning Shoes Complaint (newsfeed.time.com)
• Reebok to pay $25M over toning shoe claims (cbc.ca)
• Reebok settles with FTC over butt-shaping shoes (money.cnn.com)
• Reebok settles FTC case over toning shoes for $25 million (usatoday.com)
• Reebok’s Fake Magic Butt Shoes Are Fake, Says FTC [Fitness] (gawker.com)
• In your face, Reebok! (angryoldbiddy.wordpress.com)

One Walk with Soles4Souls is Today!

What is the One Walk?

Today, May 14th, is the day that Soles4Soulsis getting people all across the country to walk (or run) for children in need of shoes around the world. Individuals as well as teams can walk and raise awareness and money for the One Walk mission. All of the net proceeds from the registration fees is dedicated to help deliver shoes to one of the 300 million children and untold adults around the world without shoes. Individuals and teams also have been raising additional funds to help send shoes to people in need. Top fundraisers will also win a spot on a distribution trip to Haiti!

Remember, one dollar equals one pair of shoes to someone in need. 

Why are shoes important?

Soles4Souls explains on their website: “Footwear is a first step in helping people in impoverished areas live healthy, productive lives. Footwear can help eliminate the spreading of diseases through the foot as well as help children obtain an education – as many schools have footwear requirements to attend.”

You can read more about One Walk walks around the country on Soles4Soul’s Facebook page.

Every dollar raised provides one pair of shoes!

Here are a few events from around the country:  NYC Nashville, TN Manitowoc, WI

And for those of you who did not have a One Walk event to attend in your area, you can still donate and contribute to this cause of helping Soles4Souls reach their goal of giving 11 million pairs of shoes to those in need in 2011 by visiting the donation page on their website.

Note: Our podiatry office has donated over 500 pairs of shoes to this cause since the tsunami in Japan in March…and our shoe drive is still going strong!

Dedicated to your foot health and your shoes,

 Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert 

“All shoes, all the time!”

A Podiatrist’s “Athletic Shoe Guidelines”

My Favorite Running Shoes: Asics

Athletic footwear should be fitted to hold the foot in the position that’s most natural to the movement involved. Athletic shoes protect your feet from stresses encountered in a given sport and to give the player more traction. The differences in design and variations in material, weight, lacing characteristics, and other factors among athletic shoes are meant to protect the areas of the feet that encounter the most stress.

Well-fitted athletic shoes need to be comfortable, yet well-constructed and appropriate for a given activity. A good fit will mitigate blisters and other skin irritations.

Sports-specific athletic shoes are a good investment for serious athletes, though perhaps a less critical consideration for non-athletes. Don’t wear any sport or other shoes beyond their useful life.

A running shoe is built to take impact, while a tennis shoe is made to give relatively more support, and permit sudden stops and turns. Cross training shoes are fine for a general athletic shoe, such as for physical education classes or health club exercising, such as on stair machines and weight-lifting because they provide more lateral support and less flexibility than running shoes. They also tend to be heavier than running shoes, but most people don’t need light, flexible shoes for cross-training. If a child is involved more heavily in any single sport, he or she should wear shoes specifically designed for that sport.

Our practice recommends sturdy, properly fitted athletic shoes of proper width with leather or canvas uppers, soles that are flexible (but only at the ball of the foot), cushioning, arch supports, and room for your toes. Try a well-cushioned sock for reinforcement, preferably one with acrylic fiber content so that some perspiration moisture is “wicked” away.

Athletic shoes need to be replaced after one year, whether or not they are worn, and after a certain amount of repetitive load is placed on them and wears them down. The American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine advises replacing running or walking shoes after 300 to 500 miles of wear, and replacing aerobic, basketball, and tennis shoes after 45 to 60 hours of wear. Athletic shoes should also be replaced if they show signs of unevenness when placed on a flat surface, display noticeable creasing, and/or when the heel counter breaks down.

(The above is an excerpt from my website www.elmontefootdoctor.com )

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”
Related Articles

• How Many Pairs of Athletic Shoes Do You Own? (fitsugar.com)
• How to tell it’s time to throw out your shoes (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Giveaway: Saucony Running Shoes (onlineshoes.com)
• Tennis 101: Do I Really Need Tennis Shoes? (fitsugar.com)
• Why Doesn’t Your Athletic Shoe Have Semen On It? (queerty.com)
• 10 ideas On purchasing for that perfect Athletic Shoes (bagbaibai.wordpress.com)
• The Ins and Outs of Insoles (onlineshoes.com)
• Kids Shoe Association: February 2010 Shoe Show (theshoeexpert.wordpress.com)

Got Any Shoe Years Resolutions?

So now that we’re well into the first week of the new year, how many of us are keeping up with your New Years Resolutions? Hopefully, most of us!

Tell me something else, did you make any Shoe Years Resolutions? Yes, there is such a term. No, I did not make it up. People all around the web have made their shoe years resolutions, and here are some of the top ones I have come up  with as a shoe expert and a foot doctor. 🙂 

1. To buy more shoes!

(photo courtesy of ShoeDazzle)

2. To buy less shoes!

3. To buy better quality shoes instead of cheap ones that break or tear easily!

4. To buy at least one pair of designer shoes! 🙂

5. To buy shoes that fit properly and stop trying to squeeze my big feet into shoes that are one or two sizes too small! (Ouch!)

6. To stop wearing shoes that have my toes or heel hanging off the edge! (Not a good look!)

7. To rotate my shoes more and not get stuck in a rut wearing the same old shoes over and over again!

8. To clean my closet and get rid of the ones I know I’ll never wear again! (And donate them to Soles4Souls of course!)

9. To work out more and put those running shoes to good use!

10. To stop wearing flip-flops 24/7 just because I can! Instead, I vow to wear shoes that are appropriate for the occasion!

11. Runners: To stop running in shoes after they are worn out! I vow to keep track of the mileage on my shoes!

12. Parents: To check my children’s shoes and feet every month or two for a proper fit since their feet can grow quickly if they hit a growth spurt!  (Especially important for babies and toddlers who can’t tell you when it hurts!)

13. Parents again: To buy new shoes for my children every 3-6 months, not once every school year, even if they seem to fit well, because they wear out quickly! (Often times they wear out before they outgrow them!)

14. Parents again: To stop blaming my children for being tough on their shoes! Hey parents, it’s not your kids’ fault that their shoes wear out so quickly…it just happens. It’s a fact. Accept it. And then go buy them some new shoes! 

15. Husbands, boyfriends, significant others: To buy wonderful, beautiful, sexy shoes for the lovely lady in my life…because just about all women love shoes!!! (Hint, hint!) 😉

Do any of these sound familiar??? Think about it…maybe at least one of them is for you! 🙂

Once again, Happy Shoe Year, shoe lovers!!!

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes in 2011,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”

Toning Shoes Part 2: How much would you pay for them?

Well, if they’re good enough for The Kardashians…and who wouldn’t want a body like theirs…maybe if you wear these shoes, you could get a Kardashian body too, right? Skechers probably couldn’t have picked a better family to endorse their Shape-ups toning shoes!

The Kardashian women endorse Skechers Shape-ups for their workouts

There is quite a price range from the Original toning shoes, the MBTs, to the copies, to everything in between. So, how much would YOU pay for toning shoes?

MBT Toning Shoes $245.00 at Zappos

Skechers Shape-ups All Terrain Toning Shoes $89.99 at Famous Footwear

RYN Toning Shoes $245.00-$265.00 at Blissworld

 

 

 

Ryka Reform Toning Shoes $54.90 at Nordstrom

EBi Toning Shoes $49.00 at ebay

Mephisto Toning Shoes $280.00 at Shoes.com 

Aravon Ria Toing Shoes $112.00 at 6pm.com

 

PUMA Toning Shoes $89.99 at Finish Line

FitFlop Toning Shoes $79.99-$160.00 at Macy’s

Reebok Zigpulse Toning/Training/Running Shoes $54.98 for Pre-School, $69.98 for Grade School, $99.98 for Adult at Reebok

Avia Avi-Motion iShape High-Performance Toning Shoes on sale for $59.99 at Kohl’s

So, how much would you spend for toned legs and glutes? And do you believe that spending $49.00-$280.00 can make your legs and butt toned? Or do you believe that exercising in any type of athletic shoe (for the appropriate sport) will do the same? The debate continues until more studies are published…

Dedicated to your foot health and to your shoes,

Dr. Michele, The Shoe Expert

“All Shoes, All the Time!”