Flipping over getting fit

As you get older, you realize how just a few simple tenets can be used as the basis for living life. Mine are two: There’s no such thing as a good short cut; and if Oprah says so, then it must be true.

Based on these, the much-hyped FitFlops would seem to be a contradiction to my first life tenet, yet perfectly in tune with the second one. Developed by Marcia Kilgore, the same wonder woman behind the Bliss Spa brand of health, beauty, and well-being products, FitFlops is touted to be the footwear that comes with a built-in gym (figuratively, of course): While having the same look, fit, and comfort that has made regular flip-flops the popular footwear of choice among the casual crowd, it also boasts of being able to provide a great workout for the leg and thigh muscles with every step. Simply by walking around in a pair of FitFlops, you get a leg and thigh workout equivalent to stepping on a Thigh Master in the gym.

 Now, something this easy could be too good to be true — after the spate of trendy diets we’ve seem come and go, anything that promises results with minimum effort has become a thing of suspicion to me. However, FitFlops has gained a massive following in the UK since its first pair was sold in January of 2007, and it has also conquered the US market, counting celebrities Jennifer Garner, Heidi Klum, and Julianne Moore as fans. Perhaps the biggest endorsement of them all came from the Mighty Opes, when she included FitFlops in her list of Summer Favorites early this year.

Too good to be true? Oh, forget about that first “life tenet” — if Oprah says it’s good, then it must be good. I mean, she even included it in one of her lists!

Testing, testing

Still, it would be interesting to see for myself the difference between wearing an ordinary flip-flop and a FitFlop. One morning, I took a pair of FitFlops out for a test drive to see if they could really provide my legs, thighs, and bum the workout they sorely need. Making like a corporate girl who’s allergic to closed shoes with high heels, I packed away my workplace-appropriate footwear of choice for the day (which, by the way, are flat gladiator sandals — so much for channeling a corporate style-savvy girl) into a paper bag and walked out of the house wearing my FitFlops. Since the train station is about a five-minute walk away, I figured I should be getting a bit of leg action.

The FitFlops were comfortable to wear — the arches of my feet felt sufficiently supported and, despite the platform-esque height of its soles, the footwear was quite light on the feet. Once I started walking, however, I immediately felt the difference: I felt a greater push on my heels and the balls of feet with every step, resulting in my calf and thigh muscles contracting a bit more than usual.

The secret, according to the FitFlop website, is its patented, multi-density micro-wobbleboard midsoles that “engage the leg muscles more while walking on it.” Featuring a single-fused underfoot piece made of EVA foam and with three distinct shoe hardness (one for the toes, one for the heel, one for the middle part of the sole), the FitFlop “destabilizes the foot as one walks, creating a kind of tension in the muscles.” The sensation is comparable to walking on fine, packed sand: pleasant, yet not too comfortable. After about 50 minutes of commuting later (and walking up and down a couple of stairs in order to cross Taft Avenue), my leg and thigh muscles did feel a bit more tired than usual. There was no muscle strain, however, which I get whenever I window shop wearing ordinary flats. As for FitFlops providing an easy short cut to my required calorie burn for that day, there was no short cut at all: My legs did all the work, with the FitFlops simply plodding them on to work more muscles as I strutted. I was so amused by the results of my initial FitFlop test that I wore them for the rest of the day. By the time I took them off at home, I was hooked.

No flop strut

Walking, in itself, is a great form of exercise even for those who claim to have no time/cash/energy (add your own excuse here) to do a proper workout; even a 10-minute brisk walk (about four mph) can burn 61 calories. Walking can be taxing to the legs and knees, however. Add to that the fact that since it is an everyday activity we all do, for some people, it hardly counts as a legitimate form of exercise (but it is, really!). 

With footwear such as the FitFlop hitting our shores, people can now become more excited by the idea of walking their way to fitness and, not to mention, a more toned pair of legs and tighter buttocks. FitFlops also go surprisingly well with outfits other than mere gym clothes: a short, girly skirt, a body-skimming day dress, even your trusty pair of semi-bootcut jeans (in dark wash, of course, for that slimming effect). You can walk your dog, take the stairs instead of the elevator, stroll through all grocery aisles, and generally do your errands with the knowledge that your gams and glutes are getting whipped into shape with every step.

I guess I got my life tenets right, after all.

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FitFlop is now available at Res|Toe|Run (TriNoma, Ayala Cebu,

Gateway and Robinson’s Galleria), Shoe Salon, The Spa, ROX and selected

Bratpack stores.