Reebok is well known for their wide array of performance fitness shoes and apparel. They’ve been around for years, they have a great reputation and it’s entirely deserved. It’s no surprise that they’ve entered into this calorie burning and toning without “working out” marketplace by introducing the Reebok EasyTone.

The Reebok Easy Tone is probably the most athletic and traditional of the Calorie Burning or Toning category, emulating their traditional athletic styling. The Easy Tone, rather than sporting a modified curved outsole you see in some brands, actually incorporates technology at the heel and the forefoot of the shoe. This technology is based on the well known “Balance Balls” which are used in workouts and in many offices and homes as chairs that help improve your posture and build core strength.

Reebok calls the technology they have incorporated “Balance Pods”, and they destabilize your feet enough to engage your balancing muscles. Basically, the idea of the EasyTone is to make you feel like you’re walking on a sandy beach, and to engage your muscles in the same healthful way. By keeping you slightly off balance, no matter the terrain, more balance muscles are engaged, more toning occurs and therefore, more calorie burning happens!

Reebok launched this line with some pretty impressive stats. The compared the Reebok Easy Tone to one of their other foam based walking shoes, the Reebok Hex Express and it posted additional toning power in the gluts (28% more tone within the time), the hamstring area at the back of the thigh (11% more tone within the time) and the calf area (11% more tone within the time).

So the idea here is that you could wear these when you’re walking – or just every day and because of the natural instability and the engagement of your muscles because of the balance pods, you’ll burn more calories and tone more muscle faster than you would with a simple sneaker.

Another benefit of the Reebok EasyTone is the price point. At about $100.00, this is most definitely not at the high end of the pricing on the passive fitness shoe.

So how does this stand up among the brands? Well, this shoe looks like a sneaker, so if you’re looking for a passive fitness calorie burning shoe that doesn’t have the sneaker look, then the Reebok EasyTone isn’t for you. Likewise, this show may work better for those who have trouble with angled footbeds or the thicker and curved outsoles of the competition. Still, if you want to experiment with a new walking shoe, the balance ball technology is proven and these shoes could take your standard walking regimen quickly to the next level.