Friday, January 14, 2011

My Sketchers Shape-Ups Experience (Part 1)

So we've all seen those commercials about how extraordinary Sketchers Shape-ups are, and how they can make our lives so much better. I tried on a pair last summer and found they are extremely comfortable to walk around in. They became an addition on my Christmas list, and luckily I received a pair.

The question now is... Do they work? Well, from just the packaging they seemed pretty intense. The booklet that comes with the shoes explains that walking in Shape-ups takes some time to get used to and we should limit our walking in them to about 20-30 minutes per day for the first two weeks. Obviously, since I got them for Christmas, I'm past that point so I decided to wear them all day yesterday and today. Yesterday I didn't feel anything working and walking around didn't seem to be harder than usual. This morning when I woke up, however, I noticed that the inner thighs are VERY sore as well as my quadriceps. Since I was sore, walking and even sitting down was very tiresome.

I would say that so far, my Shape-ups are showing some promise. But there's still much to be decided. Are they helping me get my legs in shape, as they promise, or am I just using some muscles that I didn't have to use in previous pairs of shoes. When my legs get used to them, will I be more toned or will I just have slightly stronger leg muscles? There's a lot to be explained and discovered, which I will cover in a later entry of my blog.

As far as a recommendation thus far, I wouldn't know what to tell people. I've had problems walking long distances and standing for a long time with normal shoes, and the Shape-ups have definitely relieved me of that pain. It seems like the way they require me to walk so far has done the following:
  • relieved pain in knees and feet from walking/standing for a long time
  • improved posture (I am standing up much straighter), which leads to better overall physical appearance
  • soreness in inner thighs and quadriceps
Just for the pain relief alone I would recommend them, but I'll have to wait and see what the long-term effects are before I let y'all know for a definitive answer.

Love,
𝄞

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