Earth Footwear 30 Day Challenge.

by

FTC (*waves*) I received the shoes for free. No money was exchanged & all the thoughts/opinions which follow are strictly my own.

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Obviously, Im nothing if not up for a challenge.

In addition, when offered the opportunity to try the Exer-walk shoe from Earth Footwear, I at least knew Id be able to figure out how the shoes worked.

So I said YES.

And, as of yesterday, I am officially taking part in the Earth Footwear 30 Day challenge.

What does this challenge include? (thanks for asking)

That I simply wear the shoes for thirty days and report back my findings.

What on earth (I know. I pun’y) are they? Please to let me explain.

According to the Earth Footwear website the shoes are unique because they feature a patented Kalsø® Negative Heel Technology® that helps you strengthen and tone your body with every step.

(I know. bear with me. Im a cynic too)

Because the shoes cause our toes to end up higher than our heels our bodies are forced to work harder when we move.

As a result, we are purported to shed more body fat during daily life activities such as walking in the Earth Footwear due to enhanced muscle recruitment particularly in the calves and thighs and core trunk muscles.

(Seriously. Tell me you wouldnt be pretty damn curious as well. Ill try anything for 30 days.)

My first Earth Footwear experiences:

I have to say that, in a good way, I really didnt find the lowered heel of the shoes all that noticeable & definitely not disconcerting.

The website has an entire page dedicated to how to begin wearing your shoes & by following their tip to take shorter strides I easily adjusted to the sneakers.

There is a smart suggestion there to slowly build up the time youre wearing the shoes beginning with an hour a day.

Being the rebel I am I immediately donned mine and wore them all day with no negative repercussions.  That said, should you get these shoes, dont be me.  Directions are there for a reason—I merely wanted to be able to report back on a full days’ wearing and, well, this post was due today.

Onward.

Day one:

Comfy, I didnt trip once (which may actually be a point in the shoe’s favor.  Im renown for tripping over my own feet), and as of the first 24 hrs I can report no noticable difference in my muscle tone or my core strength (wink).

Day two onward? Remain to be seen.

I have to admit Im really curious to see if I notice *any* bodily changes as we all know I desperately need a stronger core.

Im also eager to check out sthe information posted on the Earth Footwear website.  There’s an entire section dedicated to non-gym workouts whilst wearing their negative heel kicks.

Should be an adventure in in-my-office exercise if nothing else.

So that’s me, People.

Im negative (heeling), looking fer enhanced muscle recruitment (come on CORE!) & tossing it back at you:

Have you tried any of the exercise shoes available (it seems everyone from Skechers to MBTs now boasts a pair)?  Did they make a marked difference in your physique?

Do you already own a pair of Earth Footwear shoes (anyone own these? Im inexplicably drawn to them)? Did you really burn more calories with every step?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.


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Comments

  1. I’m dying to try the Sketchers ones but I just can’t bring myself to spend the money. I’m curious to see if you feel any effect.

  2. I haven’t but I notcie 2 of my class mgrs do. I’m going to ask them if they saw a distance. I’ll read up more on them. I believe these r the shoes the mamavation campaign wears

  3. I have totally been curious about exercise shoes for a while.
    When I flew last week 3 of the flight attendants had them on!!!

  4. Looking forward to getting the full scoop from you after 30 days. While I have been intrigued my them, I never invested in them.

  5. You’re negative LOL.

    I think what intrigued me from your photo is that the shoes are not MBT like in their structure.

    You can not tell they have the negative heel at all by looking at them.

  6. I adore your cynicness 🙂 as I know that you will always be honest with us.

    When’s the next update?
    Will you be running in the shoes too?

  7. I want to try the Sketchers too, but the money…why spend that much when you dont’ know how well it works? I have too many gimick things in my house…not looking to add another 🙂
    Can’t wait to hear back from you how they perform!

  8. I have a pair of casual shoes and slippers, well actually the slippers were donned as casual shoes too, but I wear them as slippers or house shoes. So far I like them. I took my measurements when I got them and will take them at the end of 30 days..we will see, though being laid up in bed for 3 days probably will not be a real fair assessment. Might have to start over to give them a full 30 days of usage.

  9. SUSPENSE LOL

    Will they get your seal of approval?

    I’d buy them then.

    Good luck with your running too.

    When is the race?

  10. I am so curious about these. Looking forward to hearing more from you about them. I would consider purchasing if I thought they had even a small extra benefit beyond regular shoes.

  11. “Earth Shoes” have been around for quite a few years. I started wearing them when I was in my 20’s. Back then they used to advertise that the lower heal was better designed for comfort and support. When they became harder and harder to find, I bought a bunch of them and stored them away. Now “Earth Shoes” became a brand name, and in most cases, although the shoes were pretty comfortable, the distinguishing feature (lower heal) was lost in the brand.

    I don’t know if I believe that they offer core strength, but I would guess if designed properly that they’d help with aligning the body correctly.

    Considering how we mess up our bodies with our other shoes, I figure that’s a benefit right there.

  12. totally loved eath shoes back in the day, too. (And my Birks but I still wear those)!

    One reason why I agreed to give these a shot: brand recognition and longevity!

  14. OMG! I love my Birks!!

    I am totally jealous that you are wearing the sneaks!! I want to try them and the shoes you linked are the ones I looked at!! I want to try them for school – I need better shoes for standing, walking and teaching all day!

    I can’t wait to hear if you get some core muscles!! I have a pair of Sketchers Shape Ups and I can’t really wear them – they hurt my feet -mainly my arches – they are ok for casual walking but when I tried wearing them on a 3 mile walk I had problems.

    Looking forward to more posts on these shoes! See ya in 30 days at fitbloggin!!

    much love

    Jen

  15. I’m so excited you are reviewing these. I’ve wanted a pair for ages but don’t know anyone in real life (ok this isn’t real life but you’re not a nameless advert) who has tried them.

    Be honest, OK?

    Bea

  17. haha…I totally never follow directions either. Whats the fun in that? Glad to hear the first day didn’t cause you any pain and I’m excited to read how the rest of the trial goes. I hope you are having one fabulous week so far Mizfit! Any fun stuff coming up later this week/weekend?

  18. O
    K
    A
    Y

    If they can help YOUR CORE (no offense but we have seen the video proof) then I will buy a pair.

  19. I would purchase if they came in my size. I have a wide foot which is not as much of a problem as the size 12 ww.
    So far I’ve not found this technology for BIG FOOT. They’d go swell with my ten years younger look that I’m currently (and still) sportin’.

  20. I’m using running shoes that I had fitted at a running store, but other than that…thats it.

    I tried on the Skechers but a) they look like old people orthopedic shoes, b) I was afraid I was going to fall over in them.

    I’ve heard about the Earth Shoes but I’d be really curious to know if they actually worked.

  21. Will be really curious to see what you think!

    I don’t own any of these shoes or have I. I can’t even afford the workout shoes I buy now! My casual everyday sneakers are older than the hills.. I think recycled very old workout shoes. UH NO! 🙂

  22. COOL I hadn’t heard of those. I really like that idea! It’s very interesting.

    My everyday shoes right now are a big pair of boots (standard for ten out of twelve months of the year in my coldcold wintery city ;)), I wonder if they could make a boot version of these shoes? 😀

  24. My shoe budget is limited to one pair of running shoes a year and everything else as cheap as I can find it (seriously cheap . . . under $20). So, while those brown shoes you linked to are incredibly cute and I like the idea of these shoes, I don’t think they will be taking up residence in my closet.

  26. I am with Bea. I’ve seen these in print ads I think and would not purchase unless someone I know and trust liked them.

  28. I have several pairs of Earth Shoes and obviously I love them. (Or I wouldn’t keep going for the negative-heel thing.) They are very comfortable. I don’t have the specific Mary Jane style you linked to, but I do have a similar pair and get TONS of compliments on them every time I wear them. (They are patent red/wine colored. Men in particular seem to notice them, oddly enough.) I have a few discontinued styles, too.

    I wore my Exer-Flips all summer, and bought Exer-Clogs for the winter. I don’t know if they made a huge difference in my core, but I love ’em anyway. I’m envious that you get to try the Exer-Fit gym shoes!

  30. I have a pair of Earth athletic shoes similar to the ones you have, but not exactly the same. I bought them when I was having some pretty bad metatarsal pain in one foot. Keeping the weight off of my forefoot and having a nice cushy shoe under that area when I moved really did help with my foot pain. I also bought a pair of MBTs, which (because you don’t really put that part of your foot down) also helped, but I like them less because they are very heavy and hot. Fun to walk in, but heavy.

    I wore Earth shoe knockoffs to school in the mid-70s. With Dittos pants and feathered hair. Gack.

  31. I totally blew my budget and bought a pair of the Reebok exercise shoes and wore them all day for several weeks before Philadelphia became Anarctica. I really noticed a difference. My almost 50 year old tush felt a little tighter. Looking forward to the big melt so I can start wearing them again!

  32. I don’t mean to be a negative nelly and you’ll have to forgive me for being “unapologetically me” here… but –
    ugh, could these look any UGLIER? or like GRAMMA shoes?

    I’m starting to come around from my days of needing super cute platform-y, heel-y shoes all the time but seriously? Can you make a black/grey/brown version? I don’t give a rat’s behind what I look like when working out but out of the gym? My shoes at least need to not age me 30 years.

    That being said – I am totally looking forward to hearing how they work. If they actually improve your core, I might just get em and spraypaint ’em. 🙂

  33. Years ago I splurged on a pair of MBTs. They’re not the most comfortable shoes to wear (hard edge on the achilles area) so I don’t wear them too often. When I do wear them regularly I feel like they work to tone the sides of my lower hips and butt.

  34. I am very curious to see what you think after 30 days. I have not been much of a believer in all this new shoe hype. Change my mind would you!
    It would be interesting to see someone not quite as fit as yourself try them out as well. The experience would be very different I would imagine.

  35. I’ve been so close to buying the ugly Sketchers so many times. I just can’t bring myself to spend the money on something that may or may not work and look so bad in the process. I’m not a fashion diva in the least but even I have limits.

    VERY curious to hear about your results. I know I can expect and honest review.

  36. I’m really interested to see what you think. I know you will give all the details as they are, not sugar coated like some. I have been itching to try the Sketchers, but now I think I’ll see what you share before I buy a pair. Good luck and glad to hear you haven’t tripped yet.

  38. While my stepmom was trying on hiking boots at our friendly neighborhood sporting goods store, I milled around the shoe department killing time and I kept giving the Skechers Shape-Ups the side-eye.

    Finally, I thought “eh,” sat down, and tried a pair on.

    I have used a bicycle as my main mode of transportation for the last ten years, and I do not cruise to my destination in a leisurely fashion–you know that jerk on a bike who rides like everywhere is a time trial stage of the Tour de France? Well, I am that jerk, I do this nonsense on something that is to bicycles as a Hummer is to cars, and I do not have weak calves let me tell you Internets.

    I stood up and made some unspellable noise, because I was not expecting the heel to roll or squish or whatever the hell it is the heel does when you stand up on it.

    I managed to not fall on my ass by flailing my arms around like a drowning person and rocking up on my tiptoes. By the time I took two or three teetering steps in these things, every customer and employee in the shoe department, including my stepmom, was dying laughing.

    So based on that brief experience, I’m willing to believe they might do SOMETHING, but to what degree I couldn’t say.

  39. Hmmm. I just want a shoe I won’t kill myself in when working out. All them fancy things throw off my balance. And I never wear sneakers if I’m not working out. I like the cute shoes. 🙂 One of my rewards for taking off the weight.

    but, I’m curious whether they have any effect or not.

  40. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away……there were Earth Shoes. They had a lowered heel. They were supposed to give you a workout when you walked around. They were supposed to be made the way shoes were supposed to e made.
    Then there were Dr. Scholl’s Exercise Sandals. (which I loved except when they would slip off while taking a step and my foot would come down on the hard wooden edge of the shoe! ouch!) They were wood and had a place under your toes that you gripped when you walked. They were supposed to give you a workout when you walked.
    I have worn both.
    I still believe the only way you get a workout is to workout.
    Wearing fancy shoes ain’t gonna do it.
    But wearing fancy shoes sure is good for the old ego!

  41. I always thought these were rather gimmicky, and so have never tried them.

    If they help you, I might consider it.

  42. I am reading “Born to Run” it has a lot of interesting information about how modern shoes are not good for our feet. He has some really good information about what modern technology and the shoe is doing to us.

  46. I have the sketchers and I do think they have made a difference, I was sore the first day because I’m a rebel and wore them all day… I have upped my activity a small amount in the last month, went from an hour a day to an hour 15, and have only lost 5 pounds but I am about to lose another jean size, these were skin tight in december and are now baggy in the butt and thighs, not so much the tummy though so it could be the shoes. They are comfortable and they might be what is causing the inches to melt in butt and thighs so I’ll keep wearing them…
    I will say if they were my only exercise I doubt that they would do much but as an addon for daily life they could be making a difference.

  47. I have a pair of earth encounter shoes for 1.5y now. Haven’t noticed a difference in weight loss/tone. Though my legs don’t seem as tired after 8h of retail vs. my naturalizers. I think my dansko clogs are a little piece of heaven. 😉

  48. I owned a pair of Earth shoes for a few years but they always felt “funny” to me and I would wear them only once in a blue moon. Maybe if I wore them more consistently I would have gotten used to the negative heel thing. I’m skeptical about “those” types of exercise shoes really working, because I wonder if the only reason people see a difference is due to the excitement about what they might do, which then causes them to walk more than they normally did, in which case, any shoe would help.

  52. I tried the MBTs. They were meh. Not only were they kind of fugly (yeah, I said it) but I didn’t notice any difference in my muscle tone, posture or anything else. Except that they were really fun to rock back and forth on. I looked like a weeble wobble:)

  53. I only wear shoes when I have no other choice. I’m currently in love with Vibrams (if you think Earth Shoes are ugly, take a gander at the Vibrams).

    The feeling of shoes on my feet makes me crazy. I’m barefoot til the end.

  54. I’ve never worn a shoe that helps you tone up and burn calories when you walk! They are definitely advertised more. But do they really work?! I guess every person is different. If it help you out, great! If not, well that’s great too! I guess I’m an old fashioned fitness geek who loves the gym and the sweat! But I owuld give them a try. I just don’t have the time in the day to really wear them. I have to wear dress shoes!! hehe 🙂 thanks for sharing…I’ll have to look into it!

    Jen 🙂

  55. I have a pair of earth shoes I bought almost a year ago and I *still* can’t wear them constantly – I get sore in my legs, and because I cant wear them constantly they are still pretty hard & pokey in the ankle region. Sigh! But they are adorable & someday…someday…I will wear them forever.

  56. Due to foot problems, I have to watch what shoes I wear.

    Right now my Red Wings are getting high praise because they allow me to go without the insert I’ve needed to wear in my right shoe for the first time ever!

    Woot! You see… my right foot is 2 sizes smaller than my left and frankly if you look at my right foot, it looks like a baby’s foot haha aww! 🙁 Oh well.

    I’m glad to see you haven’t had issues with these, and I’m with you on being skeptic of any physique altering capabilities that shoes claim to have. 🙂

  57. I wore a pair of Earth shoes several decades ago, and remember that I liked them. They stopped making them, and two years ago, I bought a new pair. It does make my butt and legs get a little work-out (the pair I have are a kind of Mary Jane style). Some friends are wearing the Sketchers, and I tried them on. They are so cushy that I wonder if they may throw your balance off, but they do make your legs work a bit. I decided to wear my Earth shoes as much as I can, and yes, I feel it! Not painful, not bad, but the next monrning when I get up, I feel tightness in my butt especially. I am ready to buy some of their exercise shoes, but think I’ll wait and see what you think after wearing them for 30 days.

  58. My mom loves the Earth brand & swears they feel better on her feet than any other shoes.

    Like everyone else, I can’t wait to hear the results of your 30 day test. The fact that these look like regular shoes & not the oddly rounded Sketchers…which between the price tag & appearance I just haven’t been able to bring myself to try…gives them quite a boost already. Now to see if they do anything!

    Best wishes,
    Lynn

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