Worked out or worked over?

I remember seeing many women walking around with the Reebok sneakers that were designed to tone your butt and thigh muscles. I was always skeptical about the shoes because I could not believe that a pair of shoes would be working you out just by walking. I think I also never bought them because they were pretty pricey so I was not going to spend money on something I was not completely interested in.

I always look at fitness and nutrition news so I can across an article about Reebok and their sneakers. It was very interesting and a bit upsetting to find out how many people wasted their money on a hoax.

The New York Times article states the following: 

Those fancy Reebok sneakers that promise better legs and a better behind “with every step” may be just like every other sneaker, federal regulators said Wednesday, and Reebok International is liable for $25 million in customer refunds for making false claims about its EasyTone line.
“Consumers expected to get a workout, not to get worked over,” said David Vladeck, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.


Sales of toning footwear topped $1 billion last year. But in the first eight months of this year, sales were off 46 percent compared to the same period a year earlier, according to data from the NPD Group.“This is going to hurt,” said Michael Atmore, editorial director at Footwear News, a trade publication. “This comes at a time when the category is on the wane.”


“In order to avoid a protracted legal battle, Reebok has chosen to settle with the F.T.C.,” said Daniel Sarro, a company spokesman, in an e-mail.“We stand by our EasyTone technology,” he added. “We have received overwhelmingly enthusiastic feedback from thousands of EasyTone customers, and we remain committed to the further development of our EasyTone line of products.”
The shares for Adidas fell $1.35 euros ($1.83) to 47.86 euros ($64.89) on the Frankfurt exchange on Wednesday.

Reebok introduced the shoes and their “balance ball-inspired technology” in 2009 with a tantalizing proposition.Just wearing the sneakers, Reebok said, would tone and strengthen a customer’s legs 11 percent better than regular walking shoes and sculpt bottoms 28 percent better.
Toning sneakers are designed to create slight instability, forcing muscles to work harder and so become more shapely and strong. Reebok offered toning versions of running shoes and sandals, too. The company’s ads for the shoes featured the toned behinds of scantily clad women and promised attention-grabbing results.

Toning shoes became an instant sensation, with sales ballooning to $1.1 billion last year from $50 million in 2008, said Matt Powell, an analyst at SportsOneSource. Reebok sold fewer than one million pairs in 2009, but that rose to more than five million pairs in the United States alone the next year, most of which sold for $100 or more.


Reebok stopped using advertising that made the disputed health claims last year, and under the settlement, it is prohibited from making them again unless it can provide more robust scientific proof.

It just goes to show you that you cant try and find the easy way out to get a good workout. You can achieve your workout goals for free in the comfort of your home at your own pace if you are willing to put in the time and sweat.

You can visit the article at http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/29/business/reebok-to-pay-in-settlement-over-health-claims.html?pagewanted=all

By ANDREW MARTIN and ANAHAD O’CONNOR

Published: September 28, 2011 

 

Keep Sweating It!


Tina