My review on…

Shape ups by Sketchers.  First the positives.

1) Comfortable!  Oh so comfy.  However it takes a bit to get used to walking in them.  It feels like your walking on a balloon or pillows.  You have to get your balance, but its not all that hard.  I wear them all day every day, they are that comfy.  I am really not a fan of things on my feet but these shoes don’t make my feet claustrophobic.

2) Cuteness factor.  They are very cute and stylish. 

Now for the downsides.

1)I have no arches in my feet, and there are no arch supports in these shoes.  I have noticed that my feet are turning in, even though I walk on the outside of my feet to build up an arch.  I don’t notice this until I take the shoes off and then I can feel how badly my feet have turned.  I’m going to buy some inserts with support and hope that helps.

2)I’m not sure if the no arch support thing causes this but sometimes my toes go numb. It’s random, I can be sitting or standing, but it happens with these shoes on.  Even though they are way comfy…

3) I have noticed nothing in the toning up areas.  Nothing.  No stretching sensation or sore muscles, nadda.  I’ve done tons of walking in these shoes and the only sensation I notice is that my feet do not hurt once I’m done.  So I can’t say that it tones your legs or your butt, because I have no proof of that.  Maybe if you do Jane Fonda’s Buns of Steel, but that sorta defeats the purpose of the shoes.  They come with some info on what exercises to try that is supposed to help.  I did these, and I truly didn’t see a big enough difference in the sensation as I do when I’m barefoot or in other shoes.

In conclusion:

The price is far too high in my opinion.  They are very very comfy yes, but as far as I can tell do nothing else.  I’ve had them for a month or so, and notice nothing.  I have recommended them to people with feet issues, like my mother who has worked 30 some years standing on her feet in steel toe shoes for 8-12 hours a day.  For someone like her, these are very comfy and wouldn’t hurt her abused feet.  But other than that, I don’t recommend them for toning. 

I’m still holding out hope because it has only been a month and I don’t do the exercises every day.  Any workout you do daily is going to show results, so I’m not 100% sure its the shoes or just the workouts themselves that cause the toning.

With all that, if you have the money and are searching for comfy cute shoes, I would recommend them.