When St. Joseph's Pound Plunge weight-loss competition began this month, so did the Dillard's Divas' mall walking.
The four team members, all managers at Dillard's, also have something else in common: Brand new pairs of Skechers Shape Ups. Skechers claims the shoes help you get fit while you walk, work, shop and more -- toning muscles, burning calories and improving posture. But do Shape Ups live up to all the hype?
Definitely yes, according to Andrea Ashe, manager of ladies' footwear at Dillard's and a member of the Dillard's Divas.
"I think out of our whole selection, it's the best shoe we have," she says. " ... If you start walking in good shoes, no matter what, it's going to benefit you. But with these, you have to walk just a bit harder."
Combining walking with some other exercise, Ms. Ashe lost eight and a half pounds the first week of the Plunge. One of her teammates is relying only on walking for weight loss, she adds, and can tell already that her pants are loose.
Ms. Ashe adds that the design of the shoes teaches wearers to walk heel to toe, which works muscles traditional shoes don't. Of course, the Shape Ups are neither the first nor the last to do this; they and a number of other new-to-the market shoes are modeled after Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) shoes, which were released several years ago and designed to make wearers feel like they would walking barefoot on sand.
However, the Skechers and others -- including the Earth Exer-Fit, as well as shoes from Easy Fit and New Balance -- come at a lower price point. While MBTs can cost as much as $250, Skechers Shape Ups are usually about $100. Tom Brager, owner of Brown's Shoe Fit Company in St. Joseph, says the store has carried MBTs for about five years and has recently started selling Shape Ups, as well.
"MBT is such a big brand, other brands are trying to build on their momentum and create shoes they can sell for cheaper," he adds. "People who have had MBTs, they're not switching to Skechers. But people who haven't tried MBTs love Skechers."
Mr. Brager has owned a pair of MBTs since his store began carrying them and wears them while he's at work, noting that after 21 years in retail, he notices the difference they make in his posture. He says the shoes also activate muscles other shoes don't and that they're designed to be comfort shoes, with rocker bottoms taking pressure off the ball of the foot. For some customers, this has meant a reduction in knee and back pain.
So are there any downsides to MBTs, Shape Ups or similar shoes? Online reviews don't reveal many complaints. Some people note that with their thick soles, they aren't exactly fashionable. And from a functional standpoint, some say MBTs are heavy. They also can take some time to get used to, and they aren't the safest shoes for those planning to do anything more than walking in an environment where it's easy to do so. This has generated some criticism with nurses who wear them while working and might be exposed to wet surfaces, might need to help lift patients or might occasionally need to move at a quicker pace than walking allows.
