The best shoes are not about labels. What will be best suited for your walking needs doesn’t necessarily have to come from a particular shoemaker. Instead, you must understand your feet type and look out for walking shoes that fit you perfectly.
To choose the right shoes for walking especially for overweight walkers, check the size to ensure it perfectly fits. Shoes that are too wide such that you have to drag your feet to lift them must be avoided. At the same time, you must avoid overly narrow shoes for walking.
Features of Shoes that are Right for Walking
As their name says, walking shoes make walking easier. They also keep you from getting injured or wounded by blisters, bunions, splints, and so on.
In buying shoes that’ll help you walk right, these are the features that you must test for before making your purchase.
- Forefoot flexibility: When you go to buy shoes, check how flexible the forefoot is by trying to bend the soles. Overly stiff soles can hinder your feet from spreading naturally and cause you pain over time.
- Moderate heels: If you’re a sucker for high heels, you may want to reconsider, seeing how heeled shoes may be harmful to your walking. Choose moderate heels so you’ll be able to walk without straining your muscles.
- Roomy toe box: Walking shoes are best when their toe boxes allow you to wiggle your toes when you need to. Place your feet inside the shoes and wriggle your toes. If the shoes don’t let you wriggle or move your toes, don’t buy them.
- Cushioned midsoles: Your midsoles need cushioning when you’re walking. They’ll support your arch and take up the impact of your feet against the ground.
- Snug heel counter: Does the heel counter take in your heels perfectly or does it feel uncomfortable? Walk around the store with the shoes to check how it feels before making your final decision.
- Great traction: Turn the shoes over to check the soles. Are there enough lines to ensure friction? How does the shoe feel on the floor? Is the traction good enough to make you feel safe or are you afraid of falling with every single step? Ensure you buy walking shoes with good and consistent traction.
- Breathable membrane: Walking shoes must permit air circulation around your feet. If the membrane of your shoes is too tight such that air can’t pass through, you should probably not buy them.
Guide for Buying the Right Shoes for Walking
Apart from looking out for the features, we have listed above, do these things when you’re going to shop for new walking shoes.
If you’re shopping online, measure your feet’s width, length, and height. Compare these with the size charts of your seller and ensure you pick out something that fits.
Always read the reviews, If in the reviews of the shoe you find out that people complain about it running small, go up a size when buying.
Also, endeavour to buy shoes from sellers who give a reasonable return window. In case you buy shoes and they arrive small or too big, you should be able to return them without any problems.
In fact, some people advise that you should buy two pairs of different sizes at once to see which fits the most perfectly and then return the other one. This can work too.
If you’re shopping in a physical store, endeavour to shop in the evenings. By evening, the ankles swell a bit and make your feet a bit bigger.
Wear socks when going shoe shopping. Use the kind of socks you normally wear to test the size of the shoes you’re buying. That way, you won’t buy what you think is the right size only to find out it’s tight when you wear socks.
If you have wide feet as a female, it is advisable to buy men’s shoes. Men’s walking shoes come in extra-large sizes that will fit you comfortably as a woman. Many walking shoes can be worn by both genders.
Shop In athletic stores to find even better-fitted walking shoes. You’ll find sizes and varieties that suit you perfectly there.
If you have high arches, find shoes with lots of extra cushioning to make walking easy for you. Neutral arches are better placed in shoes with firm midsoles.
Walking with the Right Shoes
Shopping for shoes can be genuinely daunting. The first rule is to know the specific needs your feet may have. Those must be put into consideration when choosing your walking shoes.
With the right shoes, you can walk for long distances without feeling any pain. That’s what you should always opt for.
