Have Your Cake, and Walk it Off Later

In the ladies' locker room at my gym a few months ago I noticed a woman wearing some decidedly oddball athletic shoes. Similar to the "anti-shoe" MBT, they were black and thick-soled, but with a Skechers logo. I casually asked her what she thought of them, and she raved. She was reasonably fit and actually attributed some of that to her funny-looking sneakers, but I was dubious. Surely her overall fitness had more to do with the fact that she was working out at the gym in the first place.

Regardless, all types of shoes-with-benefits are popping up. AdAge reports: Brands such as MBT, Ryn and FitFlop have earned a cult following, broadening their distribution significantly in the last year or two, and now mainstream brands such as Reebok and Skechers are getting in on the action. More major brands are sure to follow, said Matt Powell, a footwear analyst with SportsOneSource.

However, are these shoes really effective, even to a small degree? Or are they simply a perfect storm of hype and wishful thinking? Isn't it the good old American way (or human nature, for that matter) to believe that it's possible to get something for nothing? Here are a few reasons why I'm not forking over my Mastercard just yet:

1) The cost. The Skechers pictured above cost $100, FitFlops run about $50-$70, and MBTs will set you back almost $200. For $100, I get five months of membership at my local gym (or 3-4 personal training sessions).

2) The look. FitFlops disguise their orthopedic origins well with a sleek, streamlined style, but a pair of MBTs look disturbingly similar to an Aircast boot.

3) My pride. Ideally, I work out five days per week, combining cardio with strength training, running outside at the track, rowing, and walking whenever possible. The payoff is well worth the effort, but it's still a heck of a lot of effort so the misguided idea of wearing some magical shoe to "cheat" my way to fitness really cheeses me off.

4) The product description. Skechers describes their shoe as having a "Kinetic Wedge super soft foam midsole" that "provides exercising effect." Want to know what else provides exercising effect? I'll give you a hint: it involves sweat. Also: "Running not recommended." Yeah, you're telling me.

5) The rapid rise to fame. Many of these styles have only just arrived on the scene (MBTs have been around much longer but until recently, served a much more niche market). With such lofty health-benefit claims, high prices, and still more well-known brands jumping on this bandwagon lined with cash, I fear that the fitness shoe craze is just that ... a craze.

Image: Skechers Action Packed Shape Ups, $99.99 at OnlineFitness.com