Chung Shi is the maker of an innovative new footwear promising to aid in weight loss. The fitness shoes promise to stimulate and build new muscles, thereby boosting the wearer’s overall metabolism.
The shoes are uniquely shaped, with heels at 15 & 20-degrees, and “rocker soles” intended to stimulate muscles that usually remain untargeted. The $249-$300 shoes you burn more calories whether, running or even strolling lightly.
The 15-degree shoe is referred to as a Comfort Step, or level one shoe, which is great for walking and jogging. More serious weight loss goals can be achieved with the Balance Step, the level 2 shoe with a 20-degree angle at the tip of the toe. “It is the most aggressive alignment and muscle-use shoe available,” Chungshiusa.com says.
“It forces the center of gravity, the body’s center of gravity forward, which then forces you to engage your core muscles, your abdominals and your lower back muscles,” Dr. Jeffrey Michaelson. a sports medicine specialist says of the raised heel.
Traditional shoes require people to lean forward a bit when they walk because traditional shoes are flat. This leaning forward pushes a person out of their natural position and forces small balancing muscles in the feet to do most of the work to support you while you walk.
Chung Shi shoes, on the other hand, are designed to force you to walk in such a way that your spine is aligned. With a properly aligned spine, you can engage larger muscles to aid in your walking. This gives you a better calorie burn when you walk, in addition to having better posture.
Chung Shi shoes are similar to the famed MBT product, however, Chung Shi uses a different approach- employing a negative heal and two special polyurethane rocker bars on the bottom of the shoe. The slight negative heel helps keep the spine more aligned while the rocker bars will push the force away from the heal as it strikes the ground. [adsense]
The second rocker focuses most of the body weight onto the arch of the foot. The result is that you end up putting significantly less pressure on the heal of your foot and more weight under the heal. Chung Shi shoes are very stable to walk around in and offer a lot of comfort while helping you burn calories.
Chung Shi shoes have helped people who suffer from any sort of heel or foot pain. Again, you’re forced to keep your posture straight which might help with back problems, and you ensure there is less pressure under your heels, which helps sooth and treat foot pain.
I’ve been on my Chung Shi pair for a week…solid. I do notice some tightening of key core muscles as well as my legs. I also notice an improvement in posture since Chung Shi’s design encourages you not only to maintain good posture, but keeps you conscious of proper alignment throughout the spine and meridians.
When and how Chung Shi shoes burns calories might be explained through comfort and strength training. While I don’t run in my Chung Shi Men’s Gray Sport Balance Step shoes, I do constantly contract many muscles, which is the essence of strenth training- to constantly work and exhaust your muscles through contractions. Also, because the Chung Shi’s aid in comfort and posture, I’m more prone to advancements in flexibility and energy.
I really like the Chung Shi’s…better than the MBT’s, better than the Skechers, better than the FitFlops. The distinguishing factors include the comfort level and the way you walk when you have them on. More effort is exerted, however, I’m always able to maintain a comfortable stride due to its design. I highly recommend the Chung Shi for all those considering negative heel technology. (www.chungshiusa.com).
