Any walker knows that, when your walking shoes are used up, and it is time to replace them, you will need to bear several things in mind. Walking shoes are an extremely specific breed, as they are purpose-designed for people who spend a lot of time on their feet, and who need specific support across their arches and ankles to support the activity. When you do a lot of walking, your stability point tends to be under the arches and at the back of the foot, so it’s going to take a bit more thinking than just going for the first pair of shoes you find.
Don’t worry about what it looks like
While everyone likes to wear a pair of shoes that is cute, or cool, or whatever your descriptive adjective of choice is, unfortunately aesthetics is very much at the back of the queue when it comes to picking shoes. Ensuring that your shoes fit correctly and are designed for how you intend to use them, will help you to avoid a range if problems, from joint and back pain to chafing and swollen feet.
The ideal walking shoe should take on the shape of the wearer’s foot, and be soft enough to provide cushioning, while remaining snugly fit, in order to provide optimal support to the arches. It is also worth considering that if you have feet with high arches it can cause supination, where the feet and ankles roll outward, placing pressure on the smaller toes and outside of the foot. People with supination or high arches typically have a firmer arch and experience a specific type of foot pain that is not alleviated by standard insoles, so adding Supination insoles to your walking boots will help to prevent and relieve high arch foot pain by stabilising and balancing the foot.
What makes the difference?
What is the difference then between running and walking shoes? The two activities are related, after all – or are they? Running shoes are, as a rule, a lot lighter than walking shoes, in order to facilitate speed. They should also be able to take more impact, as the heel absorbs a huge amount of impact while running, and the resultant shock to the joints should be absorbed to protect the wearer.
If you’ve ever had a pair of running shoes professionally fitted, the chances are good that you will have encountered the term, pronation. This refers to whether your foot rolls inwards or outwards in its natural state and will guide what type of shoes you would need to buy to correct this. Overpronation can be easily remedied by a pair of shoes with a bit of extra cushioning, to help take weight and pressure off the toes. If you under pronate, you will notice that most of the wear and tear on your shoes happens on the outside edge. This is also easily fixed by wearing the right shoes to correct this.
In closing
My top tip for buying walking shoes is to prioritise a comfortable and snug fit, ensuring ample space in the toe box and trying them on with the socks you’ll wear while walking, ideally in the afternoon when your feet are slightly swollen, however, with running shoes, invest in a quality shoe that fits well, leaves enough room in the toe box and supports your goals.