Reebok is promoting a shoe called the EasyTone Inspire, designed to mimic walking in the sand to help tone the hips, legs and rear. A month ago, Channel 6 News introduced you to a woman who was set to try out a pair. How did it work out?

"My jeans are fitting better than they used to, I can now fit into jeans that I wasn't able to fit into a month ago,” says Julie Blackmon.

In about a month-and-a-half, she's lost around 10 pounds and several inches. Her success formula? Pilates classes, a one-on-one trainer and Reebok EasyTone Inspire shoes. She’s now more toned and noticeably slimmer.

Blackmon hasn't achieved drastic results, but believes the shoes have definitely made a difference. "I noticed a difference when I decided to not wear them one day and I have great balance anyways, so when I wore the shoes it challenges my core strength and my body just that much more."

A challenge Blackmon thinks helped to increase her weight loss and rev up her fitness abilities.

Here's the breakdown in numbers. When we first measured the 5-foot-7-and-a-half Julie, she weighed 207 pounds and had a body mass index of 31.9. Now she's down to 198 her new BMI is 29, meaning less fat and more muscle.

But does Blackmon's trainer, Prairie Life Fitness director Karla Keller, believe the shoes have had an impact? “With the balance exercises in certain exercises that we've done, absolutely. Stepping up onto a bench or working with a Bosu ball, we've really noticed having to work a lot more muscle groups, just to hold her balance in place with those type of shoes."

But even with Blackmon's first big steps towards a healthier life, the basics of fitness still hold true. There are no quick fixes for real fitness.

"The biggest thing is getting to the gym to see any kind of results, really putting in the time, putting the dedication into it, making it a priority,” says Keller.

It's a lesson she's known since she started this journey. "It's a quarter-inch here, a quarter-inch there, you know, a pound here and a pound there,” says Blackmon.

While her progress is gradual, Blackmon’s so confident the shoes are helping she's ordered another pair. “It's going to be a long journey, but it's going to be worth it."

The shoes retail for about $100 a pair.