Making Strides: How to Find the Right Walking Shoes

Walking is an easy, effective way to stay fit. Unfortunately, foot pain is one of the most common health concerns. So whether you’re going for a walk in the park or participating in a Walk MS event, it’s important that your walking shoes are really made for walking. Here are some tips to help you find shoes that can go the distance.

What type of foot do you have?

Everyone’s feet are different, and different feet need different shoes. Most feet fall into three basic types—flat, arched, or neutral. It’s easy to find out which of the three basic types you are. Just get your feet lightly wet, and step onto a paper bag or other dark paper surface. The imprint left by your feet will have one of three shapes:

• If your imprint fills out to the sides, your foot probably tends to flatten when you step. You may need a more rigid shoe to control the way your foot moves as you step.
• If your imprint is barely visible in the middle, you may have a high arch. You may need a cushioned shoe to absorb the impact of your step.
• If your imprint looks neutral or “foot”-shaped—not too flat or arched—you can look for a shoe with some rigidity and some cushioning.

A simple test to see if a shoe is made for walking

While feet fall into three basic types, shoes themselves come in practically every shape, size, and color. A shoe can look comfortable and well-constructed, but it might not last as long as you’d like. Worse, it might hurt your shin and foot after it begins to lose support. But a simple, three-step test can help you tell a pair of duds from a must-buy.

• Poke them – As you walk, your foot should go through an easy, forward motion, from heel to toe. Place a shoe on a table and push down with a pen on the inside of the heel. The toe should lift off the ground. Likewise, when you press on the toe of the shoe, the heel should lift off the ground.
• Bend them – Shoes should bend through the ball of your foot, not the arch. Shoes that bend through the arch may not have the support you need as you walk, so try bending shoes softly through the ball.
• Twist them – You may not notice, but every time you step, your weight moves from your little toe in toward your big toe. Your shoe should allow this motion to happen naturally while still holding your foot in the right shape. Grab the heel and toe of a shoe and twist. The shoe should have a little give, flexing side to side.

The difference between walking and running shoes

You may be surprised—even if they look like walking shoes, running shoes generally have more cushioning, because runners hit the ground with more force than walkers. This extra cushioning can make a shoe less flexible when you walk. If you walk often in running shoes and switch to walking shoes, you may find that you have less shin pain, since your foot is able to move more naturally from heel to toe.

Shopping tips

When you’re ready to go shopping for a new pair of walking shoes, consider these ways to keep your feet happy.

Buy later in the day. Your feet will be slightly larger once you’ve walked around a bit. In fact, the perfect walking shoes for you may be a size larger than your dress shoes. Likewise, have your feet measured, even if you’ve always known what size shoe you wear. A difference of even half a size can affect your comfort, and different brands vary slightly within the same size.

Plan ahead. Wear your exercise socks when you try on walking shoes. This gives you a sense of what a pair of shoes will really feel like when you’re out on a walk. You might also think about buying two pairs of walking shoes. You can use one pair as your “serious” walking shoes, wearing them only while taking longer walks. The other pair can act as backup. When your serious pair wears out, you’ll already have shoes to keep you walking.

Spend in the middle. Shoes that cost over $100 may look great, but they probably weren’t designed to support feet over long walks. Likewise, cheap sneakers may wear down quickly when you exercise. $60 to $90 is a good range for walking shoes. And save your receipt. You should give your shoes a day or two of testing, if possible. If they’re not a good fit, shoes that feel okay on Monday may make your feet ache by Wednesday.

So what’s the best shoe?

A good shoe should comfortably last you 300 to 500 miles, but the more you walk, the sooner you’ll need a new pair. The best shoe for you is the one that fits your feet the most comfortably and provides you the most support when you walk. Even simpler, the best shoe is the one that inspires you to walk further.