FitSugar

Use Your Tax Rebate for MBTs

FitSugar — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT

Have your spent your tax rebate yet? Well I encourage you to invest in the upkeep of your backside and buy some MBT shoes. They truly are the functional fitness shoe.

First, MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. These shoes are made by a Swiss company that put a lot of research into creating a shoe that imitates what the foot does when it is not wearing a shoe. Twist your mind around that one. Anyway, I must say their research paid off (the shoes really do work) and they get paid handsomely for each pair of shoes – they retail at $245. Lucky for us, MBT changes their styles frequently which means old styles become discontinued and their price is reduced. Yay! These discontinued styles still provide all the benefits of full priced shoes, like – activating the back of the leg with every step and forcing the body into proper alignment.

You can find all the reduced price, discontinued styles at Walkers Warehouse for $139 to $189. Read more about what I think of MBTs here.

Happy walking!

You Asked: Do I Need an MBT Class?

FitSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 08:45:00 PST

You're asking and I'm answering . . .
Hey Fit,
I ordered some MBTs, love the extra discount. Thanks! O love the shoes too. But the info packet that came with the shoes says I need to take a class. Is that for real?
– MBT Mary

Good question. While I am usually all for checking out classes, finding MBT classes can be difficult outside of NYC, LA and San Francisco. Plus they are not all that necessary. You do, however, need to acclimate the shoes.

To see what discount Mary is talking about and to see what I usually do when clients come to a Pilates session with a new pair or MBTs,

Find the roll bar that makes the shoe so unique. Rock back and forth on it until you become familiar with the sensation of being slightly unstable and where the roll bar is on your foot.
Step forward onto the roll bar of your front foot while staying on the roll bar on the back foot. Look down and you should notice that your stance is not that wide. This is a good thing; walking on the MBTs teaches you to take smaller strides so your torso can stay over your pelvis.
Now walk around stepping onto the roll bar with a bent knee and pushing off the back leg with a straight knee. Feel the back of the leg pushing your pelvis forward through space.
One helpful image is to imagine you are walking on a treadmill. To move forward you need to pull the conveyor belt behind you using the back of your leg. This image helps to engage the back of the leg!

If you don’t have MBTs but now your curiosity is piqued check out this post: Why I Heart My MBTs. If you are looking to buy a pair you can get an extra $20 off any discontinued pair. For more details check out Discontinued, Discounted MBTs Even Less With FitSugar Coupon.

Happy walking!

Source

Discontinued, Discounted MBTs Even Less With FitSugar Coupon

FitSugar — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 02:00:00 PST

If you have some extra Christmas cash still burning a hole in your pocket and you would like to use it to burn up your backside, then you might just want to look into buying a pair of MBT shoes.

First, MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. These shoes are made by a Swiss company that put a lot of research into creating a shoe that imitates what the foot does when it is not wearing a shoe. Twist your mind around that one. Anyway, I must say their research paid off (the shoes really do work) and they get paid handsomely for each pair of shoes – they retail at $245. Lucky for us, MBT changes their styles frequently which means old styles become discontinued and their price is reduced. These discontinued styles still provide all the benefits of full priced shoes, like – activating the back of the leg with every step and forcing the body into proper alignment.

You can find all the reduced price, discontinued styles at Walkers Warehouse for $159 to $189. Plus you can receive an extra $20 off by entering the coupon code FITSUGAR. Talk about some serious savings. Remember when shopping that this coupon code works only for the discontinued styles.

Read more about what I think of MBTs here.

Happy walking!

MBT shoes = A Toned Backside, No Lie

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 08:45:00 PST

My backside feels almost dead after sitting on it all day. My favorite way to resuscitate it is walking in my MBTs.

MBT stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. A Swiss company put a lot of research into creating a shoe that imitates what the foot does when it is not wearing a shoe. Twist your mind around that one. I must say their research paid off and they get paid handsomely for each pair of shoes - they retail at $245.

If you can swallow the price the shoes are wonderful. They activate the back of the leg with every step and force the body into alignment. Plus they decrease the stress on your knee joint. As I move up years, further from 20 and closer to 40, my knees appreciate it.

You might have seen them in the Bliss catalog claiming to be the anti-cellulite shoe. But the Swiss makers of the shoes make no claim to this, but the shoes have been proven to increase muscular activity in the legs and glutes.

So the shoes might not be all that pretty to look at, but they turn any walk into a workout, especially if you are headed up an incline.

To learn how the shoes work and to see more styles just

The shoes have a sensor, or a roll bar, toward the heel of the shoe that make the shoes unstable. By stepping on the bar, rather than hard on your heel (like most us of do), you activate under used muscles that should work like when you are walking barefoot. When wearing the shoes you take smaller strides, stepping onto a slightly bent knee, then pushing off with a straight leg activating your hamstrings and glutes. I do so love that I work my booty with every step.

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Peruse the Walkers Warehouse for all your MBT needs.

I Heart My MBT's

FitSugar — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 02:50:00 PST

I love my MBT's and I will tell you why. They make the backs of my legs work, and when they work they get toned. As we age, the hamstrings (muscles in the back of the thigh) and the glutes weaken and diminish. I've seen this in a lot of my older Pilates clients. But the MBT's activate the back of the leg with every step.

You might have seem them in the Bliss catalog claiming to be the anti-cellulite shoe. But the Swiss makers of the shoes make no claim to this, but the shoes have been proven to increase muscular activity in the legs, decrease the load on lower body joints, and thereby decrease pain.

They may not be the most attractive shoes, they may have a slightly colonialist name (Masai ?!? Barefoot Technology), and they're pricey (upwards from $230). But they do turn a regular walk into a work out, especially when going up hill.

To learn how the shoes work

to read more.

The shoes have a sensor, or a roll bar, toward the back of the shoe that make the shoes unstable. By stepping on the bar, rather than hard on your heel (like most us of do), you activate under used muscles that should work when you're walking barefoot - hence the name of the shoe. When wearing the shoes you take smaller strides, stepping onto a slightly bent knee, then pushing off with a straight leg activating your hamstrings and glutes. I do so love that I work my booty with every step.

Source

Are Toning Shoes For You?

Heather Dale — Mon, 09 May 2011 00:48:35 PDT

It all started with MBT, then Sketchers introduced the Shape-ups, and after that, I feel like I lost count of all the toning shoes being introduced to the fitness world. When the American Council on Exercise (ACE) investigated the fitness claims associated with these types of shoes, they found that "none of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation." While some people love them; others feel they are just another pair of sneaks. Have you tried out a pair of these toning shoes pictured below? What was your experience?

Clockwise from top left: MBT Fora ($170), Aetrex Bodyworks Toning Lace-up ($139), Avia IBurn ($40), New Balance WW1442 Rock & Tone ($68), Sketchers Shape Ups SRR ($70), Reebok EasyTone Flash ($100)