Whilst walking barefoot through a rice field in Korea, Swiss engineer Karl Muller noticed that his back pain, which he suffered with, was quite a bit better. He did some further research and found that the Masai tribesmen of Africa did not experience bad backs. They are also famous for their good posture.

Considering the evidence, Muller deduced that walking on soft ground in bare feet was better for your back and joints than walking on hard surfaces. He decided to design a shoe which would attempt to produce the effect of this type of gait on a soft surface such as grass or sand.

He developed the Masai Barefoot Technology shoe. This is, according to MBT’s website, so radically different from traditional footwear as to deserve the name “anti-shoe”.

MBT shoes have a specially engineered curved sole with no heel, which results in a gentle rolling action when your foot comes into contact with the ground. It’s just like walking on sand in your bare feet in fact. Using different density materials in different areas of the sole also contributes to the effect by further decreasing impact shock and jarring.

Independent scientific studies have verified that this is genuinely better for your back and joints. There are further proven benefits in addition to better posture. For example, whilst walking in MBT shoes, the wearer’s muscles will be activated for longer (when compared to similar walking in traditional footwear). The muscles are used for about 16% longer. Wearers also tend to “walk properly” and take slightly shorter strides. Both of these effects mean that extra work is done.

The significance of this is that every step you take wearing your MBT shoes is giving you a little more exercise. It’s a lower body workout, without visiting the gym. MBT shoes can help you to tone and trim your legs and buttocks as well as reducing back pain and encouraging better posture.

You would think that would all be motivation enough wouldn’t you? Even so, despite all those benefits, there are some who think that MBTs are just a little chunky and not exactly easy on the eye. They are also just a little more expensive than traditional shoes – but it may be money well spent if it cures your back or slims you down. There are now some alternative, potentially better looking, offerings available which incorporate the same fundamental principles. Both Fitflops and Skechers Shape Ups use similar curved soles which are also designed to prolong the duration of muscle activity and to provide a toning and trimming effect on your lower body whilst walking.

Whatever design you find most attractive, the potential to get a lower body workout and reduce back pain just by normal walking looks like an extremely attractive option.

Check out the Skechers Shape Ups range and see the available MBT Shoe Collection

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