How to pick a pair of walking shoes   by Ed McCreedy

in Health / Fitness    (submitted 2012-02-06)

Walking is great for everyday fitness and weight loss an average woman will burn over 250 calories in a 60 minute walk.
Walking is a great exercise and lots of fun you really only need to spend money on one item and that's a good pair of walking shoes, that's it! When buying walking shoes here are the important points to look for:

• Firmer than running shoes


• Impact cushioning


• Beveled heels


• Flexible forefoot


• Thinner mid-soles than running shoes

Our feet have evolved a form of shock absorption called pronation, which is the collapsing of the arch of the foot as you step. For most people this process of Pronation works fine, disapating the impact evenly through Neutral Pronation, however some people find their arch either collapses too much which is called Over Pronation or doesn't collapse enough, which is called Under Pronation.
Shoes are built to accommodate these three pronation styles, offering more cushioning or support depending on your pronation type. If your foot type is over pronation you want shoes with more support to help stop your arch collapsing. If your foot type is under pronation you need shoes that offer more cushioning to compensate for the lack of absorption from your foot. For neutral pronation shoes offer a combination of both cushioning and stability.

All very well, but what foot type have you got? Find out quickly and easily at home using the "wet test"..
The wet test is done by standing bare foot in a tray of water then walking across paper or a solid floor and looking at the shape of the foot prints you leave.

• Flat footprints mean you are an over pronator


• Mildly curved foot arches mean you are a natural pronator


• Thin sliver down the outside of the foot or gaps in the foot mean you are an under pronator

Armed with knowledge of your foot type you can now buy the correct walking shoe. As at your shoe store for the type of shoe you need.
Walking on rough uneven ground regularly puts all sorts of other stresses on your feet, requiring you to get dedicated trekking shoes.
In addition to matching to the right pronation type your trekking shoes should also:

• Be breathable and lightweight


• Have thick sole protection with lots of grip


• Be waterproof

Once you have your shoes you're ready to start losing weight and staying healthy through walking, see your walking calorie burn using a calories burned walking calculator allowing you to enter the duration of your walk, weight, and speed to get a personalized calorie burn calculation.

About the Author

Ed has a passion for walking, regularly going out locally with his young family. This passion has evolved into him setting up the website www.caloriesburnedwalkinghq.com as a place to address all activities related to weightloss and health through walking