Whilst walking barefoot through a Korean rice field, Swiss engineer Karl Muller noticed that his back pain – which was a perennial problem for him – was very much reduced. Curious, he performed a little research and found that the Masai tribesmen of Africa are famous for their excellent posture and do not suffer from back pain.
Muller concluded that walking barefoot on soft, yielding ground was significantly better for your back and joints than walking on hard surfaces. He decided to develop a shoe which would reproduce the effect of walking on a soft surface such as sand or grass.
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”.
The key component to MBT shoes is the specially engineered curved sole with no heel. This encourages a gentle rolling motion whenever your foot comes into contact with the ground. It is, in fact, just like walking across sand in your bare feet. Materials of different densities are used at different points in the sole and this also contributes to the effect by reducing jarring and minimizing 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 is that every single step you take whilst wearing MBT shoes provides you with additional exercise. It’s like getting a lower body workout just by walking around normally. So, in addition to improving posture and reducing back pain, MBT footwear can also help to trim 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.
Whichever footwear you select, the possibility of reducing back and joint pain whilst simultaneously trimming and toning your lower body – all whilst engaged in nothing more strenuous than normal daily walking – seems very attractive.
Check out MBT shoes or have a look at the Fitflops range.
