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Not since Dorothy's ruby slippers has a pair of shoes come with so many promises. Promotional materials for Skechers Shape-Ups say these funny-looking, balance-challenging, curved-sole sneakers and casual shoes can:
• Promote weight loss.

• Improve posture.

• Strengthen the back.

• Tighten abdominal muscles.

• Firm buttocks, calves and thighs.

• Reduce cellulite.

• Improve blood circulation.

They'll help you "get in shape without going to the gym," according to the Shape-Ups ad campaign launched last spring. That's quite a claim. And the Skechers company isn't the only one making it: A company called MBT has sold heavier, pricier versions of these rocker-soled shoes for several years with similar claims. Reebok has a version, too.

The idea: The heavily cushioned rocker sole forces wearers to work harder to maintain balance and stand erect, engaging muscles that are otherwise less active. More active muscles burn more calories. The shoes also enforce a rolling heel-to-toe gait that makers say simulates walking barefoot in the sand.

"Rocker-bottom shoes are not new," says Marlene Reid, a podiatrist in Naperville, Ill., and spokeswoman for the American Podiatric Medical Association. But in the past they were sold as therapeutic footwear for people with medical problems, including arthritis in their feet, she says.