Wearing the wrong shoe—even a running shoe—can be a quick route back to the couch. Unfortunately, 72% of shoes bought for walking are not walking shoes, according to the latest stats from the National Sporting Goods Association. Walking shoes aren’t just a marketing ploy. They’re specifically designed for how we walk, which is very different from how we run. While runners land flat-footed, walkers land on their heels. So the heels of walking shoes are often slanted to increase stability. That stability is also important when you roll forward and push off with your toes, as you do when you walk. And you’ll be less likely to trip because the soles of walking shoes are smoother than those of running shoes. These walking-specific features can help keep you injury-free, so it’s worth the time to get the right shoe. To help you, Prevention editors laced up the latest walking shoes and logged more than 300 miles: We cruised city sidewalks, strolled park paths, and hoofed it on our treadmills. There were no “bad” shoes, but our Walking Shoe Comparison Chart*—along with our fit guide—can help you choose the pair that’s right for you. Get the Right FitSince no two pairs of feet are alike, one tester’s favorite shoe was sometimes another tester’s least favorite, simply because it didn’t fit her particular foot. That’s why we’ve included this guide to help you identify the kind of foot you have (there’s more to it than size). There are three basic foot types—neutral, rigid, and flexible—that describe what your foot does every time you take a step. Shoes that best support your foot type will feel better and last longer because you’ll put less stress on both foot and shoe, says Paul Carrozza, owner of RunTex, a fitness specialty store in Austin, TX, and member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Here’s how to determine your type. *To view the Walking Shoe Comparison Chart, you must have the Adobe Acrobat reader. To download this free software, click here.[pagebreak]
The Wet Test
Dip your bare feet into a pan of water. Applying your full weight, step onto a piece of brown paper. Repeat until you get a crisp pattern of each foot. Before your prints fade, match them to those shown here. (If yours are somewhere between neutral and flexible, use neutral as your guide. If yours fall between neutral and rigid, choose rigid. If your footprints are different patterns, aim to fit the more flexible one.) Neutral: You’ll see about a 1-inch strip of wetness in the arch area. How you tread: Your feet are well balanced and roll, or pronate, almost perfectly. Your feet lengthen and spread out about a half shoe size when you stand, and they absorb shock well and have good stability. But put these nearly perfect puppies in poorly fitted shoes, and you could be hobbled with blisters or other foot problems. How to fit: Yours is the easiest foot to fit because many styles are designed for your type. Make sure any shoe you buy feels good in the store—no rubbing or pinching. Rigid: Your arch is so high that you’ll see little, if any, imprint in the arch area. How you tread: Your feet tend to roll inward only slightly, so you underpronate, meaning you walk more on the outsides of your feet. They’re stable, but they don’t absorb shock well because they’re stiff: They tend not to lengthen and spread out much when you stand. How to fit: You need shoes that are well cushioned to absorb shock, and flexible enough to allow your feet to roll more. Go for a roomy upper to accommodate your high arch. Choose the shoe with the highest heel if you have tight calves, which is common in this foot type. Your feet are also likely to curve inward at the ball (you can check this out by tracing your feet), so look for a shoe that does likewise by matching the tracings of your feet to the soles of shoes you’re considering. Flexible: Your foot is flat and has a low arch. It will leave the fullest imprint, with the most arch area in contact with the paper. How you tread: Your feet roll inward too much (overpronate) when you walk. They’re unstable, but they absorb shock well because they spread out: They change an entire size when you stand. How to fit: Because your feet tend to flatten, you need a shoe that has less space between the laces and the sole. (To judge height, move your feet up and down inside the front of the shoes while you’re wearing them.) You don’t need a lot of cushioning, but you do need good arch support so your feet don’t completely flatten when you step. Also, a lower-heeled shoe, as compared with other shoes, will help keep your feet more stable while you walk. More from Prevention: 14 Walking Workouts That Blast Fat
