Q: I’ve been wondering about those toning shoes that roll your feet forward with each step and claim to improve your balance. I just spent $200 on a pair. Did I waste my money? — Diane, San Diego
A. If these shoes motivate you to take a brisk 30-minute walk every day, they’re already worth the $200 you paid for them. And they may even help you stay upright: Walking in these shoes is like wearing little balance boards on your feet. They’re deliberately a smidge unstable, tilting your weight forward so you’re forced to engage underused leg muscles. However, if you already have balance issues, tread carefully. Especially at first. They can take a little getting used to.
Also, the extra balance work doesn’t necessarily translate to more toning, burning significantly more calories or getting more fitness bang for your buck. Evidence: A team of University of Wisconsin researchers tested three brands of toning shoes, including rocker-bottom and regular ones, with active women. After a dozen five-minute spins on the treadmill wearing different shoes, the scientists compared differences in muscle activity in the walkers’ calves, quads, hamstrings, buttocks, back and abs, and found, well, squat. Doing lunges and squats and practicing one-legged standing in addition to normal walking give you greater toning, more core strength and better balance. And they’re free!
Q: I’m a 54-year-old man with an extremely active sex life. My girlfriend and I have intercourse once or twice a day for 15-30 minutes each time. Does my activity mean I’m healthy, or is this not an indicator? — Allan, via e-mail
A. Hef just called. He wants some of his testosterone back! You (and most likely the Playboy founder) are members of a very small men’s club: Fewer than one in 20 partnered guys your age have sex more than four times a week. (By the way, almost half of guys 85 with willing partners are still having very pleasurable sex — their term, not ours.) And, YES, your ability to have sex is a dipstick for your health, with a stronger, more at-attention dipstick indicating better arterial health. Here’s what your enviable sex life suggests about your health:
• You don’t have bad health habits: You probably don’t smoke, aren’t overweight and exercise regularly (outside the bedroom).
• You don’t have diabetes: You have plenty of testosterone (the male hormone linked to sex drive and not needing to buy Ferraris). While testosterone normally drops 1 percent to 2 percent annually after age 30, men with diabetes have significantly lower levels.
• You don’t have an over- or underactive thyroid: Typically, thyroid trouble leads to premature ejaculation or an inability to play for 30 minutes.
• Your arteries are healthy: Guys with hardening of the arteries, which impedes blood flow, tend to not get the hardening of the penis needed for great sex. The dipstick requires good circulation to come to attention.
Q: Despite having osteoarthritis in both knees, I manage to lead an active life by getting knee injections and taking daily NSAIDs. My doctor is talking about knee replacement, but I am frozen with fear. Will I be any better afterward? How do I know if it’s time for surgery? — Cheryl, Longmont, Colo.
A. Knee-replacement surgery has improved so much that even your older brother’s version isn’t your option. Now most docs will tell you to trade in your old joint for a new one when using it causes pain, especially severe pain that inhibits your lifestyle or your ability to stay healthy by being active. Women generally bear pain better than men (yep, we’re babies!) and tend to put surgery off until their knees threaten to buckle under them.
Waiting too long can be counterproductive. Research shows that how well you function going into surgery dictates how you’ll function afterward. That’s because the grinding, bone-on-bone pain of advanced osteoarthritis (the most common cause of disability in the U.S.) leaves you with seriously wimpy muscle tone, which makes recovery slower and harder.
You’re more likely to be active for longer if you have the surgery when your muscles are still near the top of their game, not the bottom. And remember, physical activity pushes your brain connections and stimulates brain cell growth, keeping your memory and mind sharp.
The YOU Docs, Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen, are authors of “YOU: On a Diet.” Want more? See “The Dr. Oz Show” on TV (check local listings). To submit questions, go to .
