Masai Barefoot Technology

As a perk of my job as a hack on the self-styled ‘World’s Greatest Newspaper’ I was given the opportunity to try a pair of MBT shoes in the run-up to the marathon. I must admit I was sceptical – trainers with health benefits, an “anti-shoe” which increases the fitness of the wearer with every step, hmmm..

Plus, I had seen various ‘yummy mummies’ walking round Blackheath in them pushing Bugaboos and that was a few years back when they first hit the British market and they looked like something someone who had an unfortunate brush with polio might have worn.

However, I went off for my fitting (they have to be fitted by a professional fitting person) with an open mind and chose a funky silver style from the spring/summer 2010 range called ‘Fora’.

Readers, these are innovative and amazing. I have barely taken them off, and believe me, I love my other shoes. MBTs are way more comfortable than trainers for day to day wear and you can feel them strengthening your core muscles due to an interplay between the curved sole and your body. Basically, you are working all the time you are wearing them, pulling in your stomach area and tightening the muscles in your legs and butt without knowing it. They are also fab for slow, light jogging, long shopping trips and football with the kids. Once you start wearing them, you don't really want to wear anything else.

I also found them the most comfortable thing to wear after a long run, relieving pressure on my joints and lower back., especially after the marathon.

Check out their website - MBTs now actually look high-end and fashionable and come in a huge array of styles and top-quality materials. I would thoroughly recommend them, especially if you walk quite a bit in your day to day life. Last weekend I ended up walking 13 miles round a reservoir in them and my legs were absolutely twinge-free. Go for it!

http://uk.mbt.com

PS. In case you are wondering, I found them to be much more effective than Fit-Flops which broke after one summer and didn’t feel like they were doing a great deal.

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