What if you could improve your athleticism or physique just by wearing a discreet accessory or an article of clothing? Thanks to a new crop of performance wear products, you actually may be able to do so. We admit that, for the most part, they sound too good to be true. In fact, none of the following has been proven to produce actual results, but the buzz around this category is growing undeniably loud.
Power Balance Bands: Rubber bands with dual holograms worn around the wrist to optimize your body's natural energy flow...is this new wave science or just a bunch of hippie talk? We're skeptical - of course, we recommend that you do
"the test" and decide for yourself - but trend-jumping
celebs and
athletes alike are swearing by them. (Regarding the latter, the bands have been adopted by everyone from
runners,
surfers and
yogis, to
soccer,
football,
baseball,
basketball, and
hockey players.) Advocates suggest that they work to enhance the body's typical positive frequencies while helping to
block out negative ones, like
cell phone radiation. The
consensus among users is that the body's natural balance is restored by the energy that flows through the holograms, and that wearing the band works to increase balance, strength and flexibility, promoting better posture and overall performance efficiency. Regardless of whether their effects are real or just a product of placebo, they're certainly no more nonsensical than
Silly Bandz.
Uniqlo Easy Exe: Uniqlo shoppers now have a little help when it comes to fitting into the store's famous skinny jeans. Launched this past spring, the Japanese fast fashion retailer has added "calorie-burning" underwear to its style stable. The Easy Exe line of tight fitting undergarments apparently applies extra resistance to muscles, forcing the wearer to put more effort into otherwise minimal movements (such as walking), and leading to increased productivity while exercising. Going beyond the merely tummy-tucking
Spanx, Easy Exe undershorts sport a pattern of plastic dots and dashes, strategically placed along the gluteus and lower back to create a flow of pressure that improves posture and balance. Though the line is currently
sold only in Japan, it's rumored to be hitting North American shores soon. And when it does, you can bet shoppers looking for a quick weight loss fix will line up.
Reebok EasyTone Workout Clothing: Come November, Reebok will expand its wildly successful
EasyTone sneaker line to women's fitness wear. Like with the shoes, no evidence exists that just wearing the line actually will increase peoples' flexibility while shaping and strengthening their butts, thighs and cores. However, chances are that consumers will buy in. After all, EasyTone sneakers (and
their competitors) are part of the fastest-growing segment (projected to expand 500% this year) in the otherwise stagnant athletic shoe business. While the idea that certain athletic wear can help consumers exercise more intensely, burn more calories and tone up just by wearing it sounds pretty appealing, we're pretty sure that such products would be really effective only for someone who's already active...like those who are up on that whole
rambling trend.
