What to Look For When Buying Walking Shoes
Regardless of whether you walk a little or a lot, you need a good pair of quality walking shoes that will help to prevent injuries from occurring. According to Mark Fenton, a former member of the US race walking team and author of the book “Pedometer Walking” (2006), there are three important elements you must look for when it comes to shopping for walking shoes. They are:
1. A shoe that has a flexible forefoot that bends not at the arch of the foot, but at the ball of the foot.
2. A heel that is round or bevelled which makes for ease of motion and a more natural roll from one end of the foot to the other.
3. An upper that is as “forgiving” as possible. The upper is the portion of a walking shoe that covers the foot.
Walking shoes are not the exact same as running shoes. The most obvious difference is found in the midsoles which contains the cushioning layer of the shoe. Walkers do not pound their feet as hard on the ground as runners do and therefore do not require the same level of cushioning in their shoes.
Proper walking shoes are designed with a thinner midsole in order to make the roll of the foot from one end to the other as natural as possible (from heel to toes). A shoe with a thick heel wedge can cause pain and discomfort and can lead to shin soreness and sometimes shin splints due to the fact that the forefoot slaps down onto the ground in a harsh manner. A walking shoe has a more flexible outsole (which is the bottom of the shoe), whereas running shoes have stiffer outsoles.
In order to find the most appropriate pair of walking shoes for you, you should visit a sporting goods store (or a couple if necessary) and try on a variety of different pairs. Wear a pair of socks that you would ordinarily wear with the shoes and walk on the hard floor of the store as well as on the carpeting. What you need to aim for is a pair of walking shoes that feel stable when you walk around on the carpet while at the same time, help to soften the impact of walking on the hard floor.
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