Fit Flops
Fit Flops are the flip flop with the gym built in, but what makes walking in Fit Flops so much better than just taking a stroll?
Outdoors enthusiasts will be turning their noses up at the mention of Fit Flops, but here at walking.org, we may love a walk in the country, but our real focus is on leading a healthy and active lifestyle through the benefits of walking.
So for people with an incredibly busy lifestyle, products such as Fit Flops can help them to stay in shape by burning calories and getting an extra amount of daily exercise.
What are Fit Flops?
Fit Flops started life as a range of colourful sandals, then as they became more popular and fashion orientated, Fit Flops slippers and even Fit Flops winter boots came into being. However, all of these product are designed to do the same thing, which is give you an extra workout while you walk.
They were originally designed in 2007 by a personal trainer named Marcia Kilgore who created Fit Flops to meet her own needs.
Despite being a personal trainer, she didn’t have much time to go to the gym herself, so to burn extra calories, she would wear fit flop sandals whilst walking to work.
So in many ways, Fit Flops are the quick and convenient exercise solution to the busy modern lifestyle where people don’t have time to go for a walk. Or perhaps they prioritise other things instead?
In order to capture the everyday person who’d like to stay in shape but doesn’t have the time, Fit Flops have been fashionably styled to resemble a range of everyday products that can be worn for walking around the shops, picking the kids up from school, walking to work or even getting the most exercise out of a gentle stroll. So there’s a broad appeal for this kind of product.
How do they work?
Fit Flops are designed to give you an extra workout while you walk. They achieve this using a unique wobble board midsole which works by slightly destabilising your footing. This then stimulates the fast twitching muscles in the glutes, hamstrings, calves and thighs, making your legs and bum work harder when walking, which helps to tone these areas, whilst helping you to stand straighter and improve your posture.
These benefits make weapring Fit Flops an excellent addition to a healthy exercise plan by burning extra calories while working, toning and strengthening your muscles with every step.
Originally, Fit Flops targetted the vanity market, stating that wearing their product regularly will make your legs look more slender and your bum look smaller while displaying countless lifestyle shots of well toned women in their product -and in all honesty, who can blame them?
More recently however, they have focussed on the health benefits of their products, having comissioned a study from biomechanics experts at Salford University, Manchester and the London South Bank University.
The most recent study was performed using the original FitFlop sandals over a 36 month period by Dr David Cook, Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics, and Darren James at The Centre for Human Performance at London South Bank University.
The diagram on the right shows the muscle benefits from the case studies in red, which include increased leg, calf and gluteal muscle activity, improved posture, mimickery of a barefoot walking gait but with more muscle load and improved muscle tone.
Meanwhile the blue points are feedback from people who have been wearing Fit Flops and reported relief from plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, chronic back pain, sciatica, osteoarthritis, RLS, scoliosis, degenerative disc disease and all sorts of other conditions due to the soft cushioning and posture improving characteristics of the Fit Flop midsole.
Summary
Unfortunately, because of the way in which they’ve been initially marketed to the masses, many people will think that Fit Flops are a bit of a fitness gimmick, which is understandable.
But having undergone clinical case studies, scrutiny from the press and critques from everyday people as well as scientific experts, Fit Flops have emerged as an excellent addition to leading a healthy lifestyle.
It’s important to note that they certainly won’t work wonders on their own. A healthy diet and actually walking is essential. Wearing a pair of Fit Flops just gives you that extra bit of exercise whilst walking.
If you’d like to add a pair of Fit Flops to your daily routine to increase your cardiovascular health, you can find a wide range of the best selling styles at www.fitnessfootwear.com
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