MBTs - which stands for Masai Barefoot Technology - are the distinctive-looking shoes with the fanatical following. People are crazy about MBTs not because they’re beautiful, but because they seem to make good on some rather extravagant claims: When you wear MBTs, you’ll place 19% less strain on your hips and knees; you’ll increase buttock muscle activity by 9%; you’ll increase rear thigh muscle activity by 19%; and your posture and gait will immediately improve, to the tune of a 10-degree correction. Some MBT owners have claimed the shoes cured their back pain. Others attribute significant weight loss to their MBTs.

Sounds pretty good, right? I for one could definitely use some back-pain reducing and buttock-muscle working. So, I’m embarking on a two-month experiment - what I’m calling The MBT Project - to see for myself whether these funny looking shoes really deliver on their promises.

Here’s my plan: I’ll buy a pair of MBTs. I’ll wear them as I explore Miami, my home-away-from-home for the next two months (ciao New England winter). I’ll see how I look and feel at the end of March: Does my chronically achy shoulder feel better? Are my buttocks and legs any stronger? Did I lose that stubborn 5 pounds that’s been weighing on me for a while? Or, did I wear ugly shoes in public for nothing?

To make the experiment as scientific as possible, I don’t plan to change my eating and drinking habits - which are generally healthy, if you don’t count all the carbs and dessert and wine. There are too many great restaurants in Miami for that; plus, I’m married to an Italian man who loves to cook. I think you’ll agree that now is not the time to diet. I’ll also be exercising as usual, which means I’ll be on the Stairmaster or swimming or at a yoga class a few times per week. The only change to my health-and-wellness routine will be the addition of the MBT walks.

Of course, you can argue that health benefits - mainly weight loss - will likely accrue because of all the extra walking, regardless of which shoe I’m wearing. True dat. Without a control case, it will be hard to know just how much of any benefits can be attributed solely to the MBTs. This is where we enter unscientific territory. So, for me, if my shoulder feels better, and my posture improves, and my legs and back feel stronger, I’ll chalk that up to the MBTs. If the only result is that I lose a little weight, well that’s an ambiguous outcome I will just have to live with.

I’m looking forward to getting started - and hope you’ll join me for the ride!