New Balance MW877 Men’s Rubber Outsole Walking Shoes

Before you begin your journey to healthy exercise habits, prepare your body with the best equipment. Buying new shoes is the perfect place to start. The best men’s walking shoes will ensure that your feet stay happy and your body feels great.

“Every single person who walks should purchase a walking shoe!” Stephanie Mansour, a certified personal trainer and the founder of fitness brand Step It Up Steph, says. “The body needs proper support while standing upright and walking.”

Don’t cause your body more pain or damage by choosing the cheapest pair of shoes you can find. Wearing the right set of sneakers can boost your productivity and lessen your aches and pains after a long walk. We will discuss a few of the ways to go about finding the best shoe for you.

There are several factors that go into comfort for your feet during a long walk. Comfort is just one aspect though. You’ll find price and style come in close second and third and should factor into your final choice. Let’s take a look at each of these:

Comfort can be found in several aspects of the walking shoe. The cushioning is usually the first thing consumers look for in the soles of the shoes. Cushioning has come such a long way and today’s walking shoes. Much of the comfort of the cushioning is determined by how much pressure your feet feel when walking. Some walking shoes feature memory foam or gel for interior cushioning. Outside soles really should be rubber to give that bounce-back reaction and soft step landing during your walk.

The fit is extremely important when buying shoes and includes heel support, accommodation of the shape of your feet (including arch), and the wear on the outsole of your shoes. For heel support, you’ll find some brands have a very thick back end of the shoe to support those who tend to roll from the very backs of their heels while walking. Your heel is most likely the point of contact with the ground and bears the brunt of the weight of your body as you walk.

“Walking shoes should make you feel more comfortable while walking than other types of shoes,” Mansour says. “The heel counter that holds the back of heel just underneath the Achilles tendon should be snug and feel like it’s holding your foot in, but it shouldn’t feel too tight or like the shoe is squeezing your foot. The insole in the bottom of the shoe should feel comfortable on the bottom of your foot when you walk. In the toe box, you should be able to comfortably wiggle  and scrunch your toes but there shouldn’t be excess room here or else your foot will slip when you walk.”

As for shape, some people have wide feet and others have narrow feet. Some brands are known for supporting one over the other type of foot and you will soon discover which brand is perfect for your feet. Some people even have one foot that is wider than the other, in which case it’s advised to get the correct shoe size for the wider foot and use inserts for the foot that is narrower.

Look for men’s walking shoes that have a variety of width ranges. Some brands have as many as three different widths available to accommodate your foot.

For your heel, you will have to think about the way you walk. If your step is more towards the ball of your foot by your toes, the shoe you choose will not need an extra thick supportive heel. However, if you tend to really roll your foot from heel to toe, you will really want to consider a hefty heel support. Again New Balance has great heel support in most of their walking shoes.

Next in line for finding a comfortable men’s walking shoe is the support of the arch. If you have a high arch but your walking shoe doesn’t support it, you are at risk for pain caused by plantar fasciitis, a condition where your arch is weakened and sore and compromises the rest of your foot, making it susceptible to injury. To prevent this, some foot specialists will suggest an extra insert that offers arch support in your shoe if you cannot find a shoe with a high enough arch. Likewise, if you have a shallow arch, you don’t want a shoe that stresses it and puts unnecessary strain on it.

Mansour advises that you try any type of walking or running shoe on at the end of the day when your feet are their most swollen. This will give you the best indication of the shoe’s fit.

Before you make the important purchase of a new walking shoe online, you may want to try on several different brands and sizes. If you are ordering online, try walking around inside your home until you find one that fits like a glove (but not like an overly tight glove, of course!).

• Find a lightweight shoe if you are an endurance walker. They will be less fatiguing on your body and typically offer better aeration for your foot.
• Consider a Velcro option if you have arthritic hands that do not like to tie shoes.
• Try to always store your shoes in an open-air place instead of a gym bag or shoe box. No matter how well they are made, odor and bacteria from sweat can build up if they are kept in a closed, dark space.
• Consider a cross-training shoe if you think you’ll be doing anything besides walking in the shoes.
• Try to use your walking shoes only for walks. Using them for workouts or hikes or even just running errands will shorten their life and you will be replacing them much more frequently than need be.
• A general ballpark figure for replacing your walking shoes is roughly 350-500 miles.
• Worn out tread, wrinkles in the side of the sole, upper ankle support tears are all indicators that your shoes need to be replaced.