Toning shoes, wellness shoes, fitness shoes, rocker shoes—whatever you want to call them, their use, especially among women, is on the rise. As a matter of fact, some experts predict that this segment of the footwear industry will grow into a $1 billion market in the next few years¹. And while they are all the rage now, toning shoes, as we will call them for the rest of this discussion, have been around for quite some time. Even podiatrists use this style of shoe to help treat a variety of problems. Toning shoes are characterized by a curved sole, which is designed to alter normal walking gait. Manufacturers claim that the unstable nature of the shoe helps to burn more calories, tone muscles, improve posture, and reduce joint stress.  Some go as far as saying that these shoes can take the place of a gym!

So do these shoes stand up to the manufactures’ claims? Researchers at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse decided to put toning shoes to the test by conducting two studies, one evaluating exercise responses to walking in traditional athletic shoes compared to some of the more popular brands of toning shoes². The second looked at muscle activation, again while walking in traditional athletic shoes versus the toning shoes.  Some of the things they measured included caloric expenditure, perception of how hard you are working (RPE), oxygen consumption, and EMG activity. Both studies found no significant differences in either exercise response or muscles activation between any of the shoes.

Manufacturers disagree with these results, faulting the studies for their small sample size (12 physically active females, ages 19-24 for the first study described above and 12 physically active females, ages 21-27 for the second). They cite their own research as proof the touted benefits exist. Experts warn, however, that research funded by manufacturers are often not peer-reviewed and often have a poor research design. Most believe that further, independent, long-term study is needed before the book is closed on toning shoes.

One search on the Internet and you will see numerous articles and blogs with varying opinions on the effectiveness of these shoes. Some people feel that, in deed, they have experienced many benefits from their toning shoes while others claim pain and injury resulted from their use.

So what do you think? Have you tried toning shoes? What has been your experience? Why do you think people feel they see results or vice versa?

1 Sitek, T. Healthy Feet. Footwear Insight. Formula 4 Media, March/April 2010.

2 Porcari J, Greany J, Tepper, S, Edmonson B, Foster C, Anders M. (2010, July 21). Will toning shoes really give you a better body. Accessed August 8, 2010, from the American Council on Exercise Web Site:  http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/research.aspx.

I was running up and down the street in front of my house one day because I had to stay close to home. A neighbor down the street was out washing his cars so every time I passed him we would exchange some quick words about this and that. During one of my passes he made the comment that he should be out running. I didn’t have time to respond but I thought about this comment for the next few minutes. He had been out washing his cars (as well as the neighbor’s) as long as I had been running and I think he actually was out there before I was. And he just wasn’t washing his cars; he was WASHING his cars.  When I passed him again, I pointed out this observation to him. I started reflecting on the fact that many people do not realize how important lifestyle physical activity is on our health. One of our recent blogs, “Physically Active with a Sedentary Lifestyle: Are You at Risk?” explored the effects of inactivity on cardiovascular death rates¹. As a reminder death rates were highest in those who spent most of the day sitting even if they met their recommended physical activity requirements. So being active during the day provides protection different than structured exercise. And being more active during the day also yields higher calorie expenditure which helps with calorie balance. As I continued my run I thought about how many don’t realize that small activities throughout the day really do add up. Modern conveniences have taken much of the activity out of life and it is important for us to find ways to put it back like my neighbor washing his own car versus going to a automated drive-through service.  And unfortunately for many the perception about physical activity is that you have to be training for something. Yes, some structured exercise is important (and doesn’t have to entail training for something) but really the goal should be to decrease our sedentary behaviors and simply move more.

So how much do you know about the caloric expenditure of various activities? Let’s test your activity calorie knowledge.
*all questions are assuming the person weighs 150 pounds (68.2 kg)

1. How many calories would a 150 pound person burn putting boxes away in the attic for 10 minutes?
      a.     40 calories
      b.     85  calories

2. Which burns more calories?
      a.    washing dishes for 30 minutes
      b.    walking the dog for 15 minutes

3. Which of the following activities would burn 270 calories if done for an hour by a 150 pound person?
      a.    gardening
      b.    washing a car
 
4. Which burns more calories?
      a.    vacuuming for 20 minutes
      b.    carrying an infant for 20 minutes

5. Taking the stairs burns how many more calories than standing in an elevator?
      a.    about 3 times more
      b.    about 6 times more

How did you do?
Here are the answers. Question number one: 150 pound person would burn 85 calories putting boxes away in the attic for 10 minutes. The vertical challenge of climbing up a ladder with a weighted box is quite an intense activity. Question number two: washing dishes for 30 minutes (85 calories) will burn more calories than walking the dog for 15 (50 calories). Question number three: Gardening burns 270 calories in an hour while washing a car burns about 205 calories. And for many gardening brings enjoyment, although the same could be said about washing a car especially in my neighbor’s case! We should all strive to find activities that are fun for us. Question number four: Vacuuming and carrying an infant for 20 minutes both burn 80 calories. Question number five: Taking the stairs burns about 6 times more calories than riding in an elevator.

My challenge to you is to find ways to put activity back in your life. Oh and if you are curious as to how many calories those different activities will burn, check out this calorie calculator. It is based on the Compendium of Physical Activities which was developed to assess the intensity and energy expenditure of 605 physical activities². The site will calculate caloric expenditure for 222 of the activities. For a complete listing, check out the Compendium of Physical Activities itself. Report back to us what you come up with. You may just be providing a great idea to another reader.


1 Katzmarzyk, P.T., Church, T.S., Craig, C.L., & Bouchard, C. (2009). Sitting time and Mortality from All Causes, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer. MSSE, 41(5),998-1005.

2 Ainsworth, B.E., Haskell, W.L., Whitt, M.C. et al. (2000). Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 32 (9 Suppl): S498-504.

I was out running a few Saturday’s ago and was plagued by extreme thirst. It was in the morning but as it turns out, unknown to me, it was the hottest day we had had this summer, hitting triple digits in the afternoon. So it was already pretty hot when I started out. How hot I didn’t realize until I later checked the temperature and humidity; 88°F, 70% humidity. This put the heat index at close to 100! Humidity, especially when combined with that high of a temperature, reduces the effectiveness of sweating to cool the body by reducing the evaporation of sweat from the skin. This causes us to sweat more in a further attempt to cool the body which is being stressed by both environmental heat and the heat being produced by our working muscles. No wonder I was thirsty! I was so thirsty that all I could think about was water. Every sprinkler I passed I swore was calling my name and eventually I gave in, not once, but twice. My first attempt didn’t yield very positive results. I got a few drops of water in my mouth but mostly just got drenched. My second attempt several minutes later was much better. The stream was more of a straight stream than a mist. The only downside was that I had to crouch low to the ground to get to it. But I didn’t care, I needed water and I was getting it! And no, I didn’t care who saw me or what they thought.

This incident served not only as a good laugh for me and the many others I shared it with but also as a wake up call that summer is indeed upon us and that I needed to pay better attention to my hydration status. So I thought this was a perfect opportunity to share some fluid guidelines with you so that you don’t wind up in the same predicament as me.

As was mentioned, evaporation of sweat is used to cool the body. If the fluid that is lost from sweating is not replaced, dehydration can occur. Even a slight level of dehydration (> 2% loss of body weight) can increase the strain on the cardiovascular system and significantly affect exercise performance¹. Many other factors can be affected by dehydration as well such as decision making skills, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to cool and deal with heat stress^1,2,3,4. Preventing significant loss requires consuming the proper amounts of fluid before, during, and after exercise. Here are some guidelines to follow⁴:
 
• Start hydrating 4 hours before activity by drinking 2-3 cups (16-24 ounces) of fluid.
• If signs of dehydration are present despite this (i.e. not needing to urinate), drink another 1-2 cups (8-16 ounces) 2 hours before activity.
• Drink 6-12 ounces every 15-20 minutes of activity.
• After activity, drink 3 cups (24 ounces) for each pound lost. 

And important to note is that thirst can be an unreliable mechanism for detecting fluid loss. So the fact that I was thirsty during my run probably meant that I was significantly dehydrated, and had been so before I had even started out that day. There are several ways to determine your level of fluid loss so that you can be certain to replace the proper amount.
 
• Weigh yourself before and after you exercise. This will tell you how much weight you have lost in the form of water or sweat.
• Check the color and quantity of your urine*. If your urine is dark in color and only in a small volume, you need to drink more fluids. When it is pale yellow and of substantial volume, you have returned to normal water balance. Remember that dehydration is accumulative so this may take several days. 
 
*Urine is not a good indicator of hydration status if diuretics are present in the body.

Remember that many fluids can be used to replace sweat losses including water, seltzer, juice, sports drinks, milk, soft drinks, even foods with liquid in them (i.e. soups, fruit). Check back next week for a discussion on sports drinks.

What do you do to stay hydrated? Do you have a sprinkler story of your own? Or maybe just the opposite, you drank too much water in a short period of time and suffered from water poisoning? Has your performance ever been affected by dehydration? Do tell.

1 Armstrong, L.E., D.L Costill, and W.J. Fink. Influence of diuretic-induced dehydration on competitive running performance. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc.17 (4): 456-461, 1985.

2 Casa, D. J., P. M. Clarkson, and W. O. Roberts. American College of Sports Medicine roundtable on hydration and physical activity: consensus statements. Curr. Sports Med. Rep. 4:115–127, 2005.

3 Cheuvront, S. N., R. Carter III, and M. N. Sawka. Fluid balance and endurance exercise performance. Curr. Sports Med. Rep. 2:202–208, 2003.

4 American College of Sports Medicine; Sawka MN, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 39:377-390, 2007.

Sounds crazy right? A device that many of us associate with sedentary behaviors can help increase physical activity? The reality is mobile devices are extremely popular amongst the teenage population. According to a national survey from CTIA (The Wireless Association®) and Harris Interactive, four out of five teens (17 million) carry a wireless device¹. The study titled “Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged” also found that a majority of teens (57%) view their cell phone as the key to their social life and that most admitted to spending nearly an equal amount of time talking as they do texting each month. 

So knowing this trend, researchers in England decided to use this technology to send daily text messages about exercise to 128 students aged 16-19 at four schools in West Yorkshire to see if it affected their physical activity levels². The teens received messages for two weeks; however some teens received messages that made physical activity sound enjoyable while some received messages noting the health benefits. A third group received both types of messages. At the end of the two weeks, the teens were performing an average of 31.5 minutes more of moderate physical activity per week. What was even more remarkable was that those teens who received the messages about exercise being enjoyable increased their amount of activity by 2 hours per week. The authors feel that that for inactive teens, focusing on the emotional benefits of exercise may be a more effective way to encourage physical activity than highlighting the traditional health benefits. If they think it is fun, the just might be more likely to exercise.

And this is important because according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, teens spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes a day using media (such as watching TV, listening to music, surfing online, and playing video games) which are sedentary activities³. This is more than 53 hours per week. With all of this media time, it is hard for teens to find time to perform an hour or more of moderate or vigorous aerobic physical activity as is recommended for their age according to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Focusing on the fun of activity may go a long way to helping them increase their activity and hopefully meet this guideline. While we here at The Cooper Institute are known for our research linking activity to health outcomes we have also been strong proponents of the notion that activity should be fun and enjoyable for all. Our goal is to help people become more active for a lifetime and a major key to that is making it fun.

So the take home message is this. Meet teens where they are at. Find creative ways to use the media that they are using to encourage physical activity. For instance, a few weeks ago we posted a blog highlighting some of the many apps related to healthy living. Or like the researchers in England, have a friend or family member send text messages related to physical activity. And most importantly, focus on the fun.

1Teenagers: A Generation Unplugged. A National Survey by CTIA—The Wireless Association® and Harris Interactive. September 12, 2008. http://files.ctia.org/pdf/HI_TeenMobileStudy_ResearchReport.pdf. Accessed: May 7, 2010.

2Sirriyeh R, Lawton R, Ward J. Physical activity and adolescents: an exploratory randomized controlled trial investigating the influence of affective and instrumental text messages. Br J Health Psychol [online]. 12 Feb 2010. Available from: http://masetto.ingentaselect.co.uk/fstemp/f29445d551abc8c7b8920080e795b097.pdf.
 
3Generation M²: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds. A Kaiser Family Foundation Study. January 2010. http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf. Accessed: May 7, 2010.