Just as Vitaminwater might not actually be a magical elixir, "toning shoes" probably don't give you a tight ass and sculpted legs like the manufacturers tell you they do. What is this world coming to?

Besides looking ridiculous, and really uncomfortable, toning shoes are pretty much bullshit. They cost anywhere from $100 to $245 a pair from companies like Skechers and Reebok. Not buying into pitchman Joe Montana's persuasive commercials, the non-profit American Council on Exercise decided to do a study that compared toning shoes to regular running shoes, and the results were... not at all shocking. NPR spoke to Todd Galati from ACE:

Both studies found that there was no significant difference between any of the toning shoes and the standard running shoe," says ACE's Todd Galati. Bottom line, says Galati, is that claims that toning shoes help people burn extra calories, improve muscle tone and build strength are bunk.

"These shoes are not a magic pill. It is the walking that will make a difference in your life. Not the shoe," he says.

And surprise! Skechers says ACE is full of it, and that everyone who buys Shape-ups absolutely loves them because these shoes aren't just shoes, they are products that will change your life:

Well, first of all, I would say that the study that they conducted is deeply flawed," says Leonard Armato, president of Skechers Fitness Group. He says the ACE studies are too limited. He says they're contradicted by what he calls "more than a dozen larger and more rigorous studies" - and by customer response.

"Skechers has received 12,000 unsolicited positive reviews of Shape-ups," Armato says. "And many of these people insist that the benefits they have received have literally transformed their lives for the better."

Skechers Shape-ups: They'll transform your mediocre life and out of shape body in no time, for just $99.99! Here's Joe Montana, NFL Hall of Famer, on the magic of Skechers Shape-Ups: