good walking shoes?

Hello,
I love my Adidas & new balances. Each person is different. I litterly go to the Academy & try on several before I buy them. Right now I am very over weight so I plain to start walking short distances till I can do more cause my feet hurt due to me being so overweight.

I am using Sketchers go walk with the memory foam sole. I have arthritis in my feet & I find these really comfy.

I've worn Saucony and currently have a pair of Brooks that I am wearing. I went to a runner's store (Blue Mile, Runner's Forum, etc) and had them fit me. They did a gait analysis to determine what type of support I needed and had me try on several different pairs of shoes with that type of support in them. It was totally worth it to have a good pair of shoes that were comfortable!

Go to a store where there is a variety of brands and styles, and get fitted. You can get shoes that are made expressly for walking, or cross trainers could work. Walking shoes give you support and room for your feet to move properly as you walk through a stride.

New Balance. I've used that brand for almost eight years now, and I love it!

When I started my fitness regimen, I was super happy with the New Balance brand of shoes. Definitely hit your local running store and get fitted properly for a shoe that suits your activity. Good luck!

My recommendation is Vasque brand....paired with the Polysorb brand insole labeled "cross-trainer" (they take up quite a bit of room so I wouldn't buy the shoes first, I'd try everything on, regardless of brand...with insoles if you want to use them). I think the latest is the Grand Traverse with regard to Vasque (but I haven't used that particular style). I've worn Vasque for years now, though...including when I used to walk a lot (before my hips went kaput).

I worked for Red Wing Shoe Co. for several years and we were in constant communication with several podiatrists in the area. We fitted all the EMTs and firefighters in the city (eye candy job, lol). Anyway, podiatrists have LOADS of awesome information and most of the time they (ours anyway) happily shared that info.

Regardless of what brand you choose, the best advice I can give is to make sure:

* you have *ample* room in the toe box. Happy toes make happy feet, and your toes need lots of wiggle room. People would be surprised at the leg problems, back problems, gait problems that can occur by something as simple as getting shoes that are snug in the toe box. You should be able to wiggle all of your toes all over the place in a shoe, believe it or not. You shouldn't feel any part of the shoe on your toes when you walk, run or jog....except the insole.

* hug your transverse arch and heel... Whether it is for work purposes, casual purposes or walking/running purposes, a new shoe should fit snug at the transverse metatarsal arch and snug in the heel. *Not* tight, mind you...but snug. Your bones and/or any bunions you have there shouldn't feel squeezed, but "hugged". This allows the shoes the fit needed to adjust to the natural movement of your individual feet.

*Always, always always try *both* shoes on, because 100% of the people I personally fitted...had two different sized feet; everyone has different sized feet in length if nothing else. Sometimes it's barely a smidge and sometimes it can be an entire size. Don't try the right and say you wear an 8 because your left foot might need an 8.5 or 9 even (in which case buy the 9s unless you can talk the sales clerk into letting you mix-n-match).

* The widest part of the shoe should be at approximately the same location as the widest part of your foot (the transverse MTH zone). Not doing so can cause issues with your arches, as the insoles of the shoe and other insoles you may place in there...won't be aligned with your actual arch...it'll be aligned with the arch of the shoe, and that's not pleasant.


....I just wanted to help. I'm not an "expert" by definition, but I think working for one of the most well-known and well respected shoe companies in America for many years, and fitting literally thousands and thousands of feet...makes me a little more experienced than the average bear if nothing else.

Whatever brand you decide on...I hope they're the best walking shoes you've ever had!

New Balance for sure! If you go to an actual New Balance store (as opposed to a Foot Locker etc.) they will usually fit you for the sneakers to make sure they are perfect for what you need.

Maybe you need orthotics as well to help with the pain?

Good luck in your search!

4 years ago I broke my ankle and leg the shoe I wear is Skechers Walker they feel great. I over weight also a lot.