Swiss engineer, Karl Muller, was walking barefoot through a Korean rice field when he noticed that his back pain – something he suffered with – was quite a bit better. Intrigued, he carried out a little research and discovered that Africa’s Masai tribesmen are well known for their good posture and do not suffer from back pain.
Muller came to the conclusion that walking barefoot on soft ground was better for your back and joints than walking on a hard surface. He decided to design a shoe which would mimic the effect of walking on a soft yielding surface such as grass or sand.
What he finally came up with was the Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) range of footwear. It is, according to the company website, so different to standard footwear that it deserves the title of “anti-shoe”.
MBT shoes incorporate a specially developed curved sole without a heel, which produces a rolling action when your foot makes contact with the ground. It’s just like walking on sand in your bare feet in fact. The use of materials of different densities also contributes to the effect by further lowering jarring and impact shock.
The fact that this is better for your back and joints has now been verified by independent scientific studies. In addition to improved posture, there are evn more benefits. For example, whilst walking normally wearing MBT shoes, the user’s muscles are in use for a longer period of time (when compared to normal walking in conventional shoes). The muscles are active for around about 16% longer. Users also tend to take fractionally shorter strides – both of these effects increase the amount of work being done.
The result of this is that each step you take wearing MBT shoes will provide you with additional exercise. It’s like a lower body workout when you walk around. So, as well as improving posture and lowering back pain, MBT shoes can help to firm up your buttocks and tone your legs.
You would think that would be sufficient wouldn’t you? However, in spite of all these benefits, some people find that MBT shoes are a little chunky and not that pleasing to the eye. MBT shoes are also a little more expensive than standard shoes (although the benefits may make them good value for money). Happily, there are now other alternatives available which work on the same basic principle but which are more aesthetically pleasing. Both Skechers Shape Ups and Fitflops have similar curved soles which are specifically designed to increase the length of time that muscles are active and to tone both legs and buttocks whilst doing nothing more strenuous than walking normally.
Regardless of which brand of footwear you choose, the prospect of reduced back pain whilst trimming and toning your lower body seems to be extremely attractive.
Discover MBT shoes or have a look at the Fitflops range.
categories: health,fitness,diet,exercise,footwear,fashion,back pain,nutrition,walking,workout
