Best Shoes for Walkers (flat feet)

Elan

So I want to start walking for exercise, and I need a suitable (and very affordable--no more than £30, ideally £15 and under) pair of walking shoes.

I've done my research, I have flat rigid feet with square toes and compressible sides, I already know I have a foot that comes in a fair bit --I likely fit into the overpronation category and apparently I should be looking for shoes with features (especially *control features*) like *motion control* *high stability* *firm midsoles* *pre-arched* or some kind of arch support with a soft flexible shank, short vamp and square box.

But now I am very confused. Sports Direct have shoes for flat feet, however these don't really list any features that I'm looking for, and they're only for running shoes. And when I type any of the features into the search engine I get a medley of unrelated literature to scroll through. Basically I have the information I'm just not sure how to approach finding the right (affordable) shoe.

So I just wanted to ask if anyone has any recommendations?

If you walk for exercise what did you do to find the right shoes? I hear some people just buy a shoe and then buy the insole for this separately---does this work? Is there anything in general in your experience that a person should look for in a good walking shoe? Best place to buy? (I'm in London btw). And are there any shoe search engines out there I can use to filter or input search terms according to the above specs?

Also if anyone has any tips for a first time exercise walker--I'd be extremely grateful, thanks

(hopefully the above information is helpful for anyone else with flat square looking for good shoes as well )

dandelionclock30

If you want a very technical trainer like you seem to want, your not going to get it in this price category, your looking at bargain bucket basically.
Go to Go Outdoors and see what they have got they usually do some very cheap walking shoes.
All those criteria you want fit running shoes not walking shoes.

anniesguesthouse

I have a couple of pairs of Karrimor walking shoes from Sports Direct. I find them really good. Be sure to check the youth section (depending on your shoe size) as there are often adult sizes in there at a lower price with only a very slight difference in style.

I'd recommend you pull out the insoles in the shoes and invest in some Sorbothane "Total Control" corrective inserts (have search on Google to see the science behind them) to protect your joints. I got a pair from Amazon for about £15. They are pricey for an insole but will last a lifetime and can be put in any shoe/trainer/boot.

Elan

dandelionclock30 wrote: »

If you want a very technical trainer like you seem to want, your not going to get it in this price category, your looking at bargain bucket basically.
Go to Go Outdoors and see what they have got they usually do some very cheap walking shoes.
All those criteria you want fit running shoes not walking shoes.

It's a relief to hear I don't have to worry about all those criteria if all I'm doing is walking. So for just walking is a Bargain Bucket trainer sufficient? And thanks I'll check out Go Outdoors.

anniesguesthouse wrote: »

I have a couple of pairs of Karrimor walking shoes from Sports Direct. I find them really good. Be sure to check the youth section (depending on your shoe size) as there are often adult sizes in there at a lower price with only a very slight difference in style.

I'd recommend you pull out the insoles in the shoes and invest in some Sorbothane "Total Control" corrective inserts (have search on Google to see the science behind them) to protect your joints. I got a pair from Amazon for about £15. They are pricey for an insole but will last a lifetime and can be put in any shoe/trainer/boot.

It's funny you talk about the kids section, I actually do that with my other clothes, don't know why it didn't occur to me do the same with shoes. How long do your Karrimors last you by the way?

Oh and thanks for the tip about the Total Control insoles, will be looking that up shortly.

anniesguesthouse

Elan wrote: »

It's funny you talk about the kids section, I actually do that with my other clothes, don't know why it didn't occur to me do the same with shoes. How long do your Karrimors last you by the way?

Oh and thanks for the tip about the Total Control insoles, will be looking that up shortly.

I walk an hour a day with the dog and I easily (in under a year) wear through the soles on flat Adidas trainers (not the thick sole kind, the tennis shoe type). I've yet to wear through a pair of Karrimors though - will keep you posted. I'd definitely recommend the insoles though, I started off with a couple of pairs of full strike (before the total control ones came out) and *touch wood* never had any joint or leg pain. I've recommended them to relatives who have complained to me about pains in their legs and hips when they walk and they have raved about them too so they're not just preventative but corrective as well I believe.

I think you can probably just go with the insoles first and buy dedicated walking shoes later on as finances allow. Definitely remove the existing insole first though, don't try and use them on top. I wear the total control ones in winter boots, running shoes and in trainers.

The insoles don't affect the (uneven) wear marks on the shoes though eg I can tell from looking at the heels of well worn trainers/shoes/boots that I still over-pronate but the insoles correct it from the insole up if you get what I mean.

As an aside I had my running gait analysed by Nike on Oxford Street (a free service, requires a few minutes jogging on a treadmill in front of shoppers and a camera attached to a computer) and was told I over-pronated. They "prescribed" me a pair of £115 trainers - I bought the exact same trainers brand new on Ebay for £35 the next day. :T (I pulled out the insoles in them and use Sorbothane ones though).

Good luck with the walking, if you get into it you might want to get a pedometer (about 99p off Ebay) to count your steps and see how many you take and use that to monitor your progress/distance. There's also a few map my walk/run type phone apps that I see a lot of on Facebook that can keep you motivated. Also some good audiobooks (I like language courses) on an mp3 player/your phone is a must.

Elan

It's a buy for the Sorbothane for me then. After your review £15 sounds reasonable, the Amazon reviews are similarly positive--though for my size it's £20 on there, luckily I've found it on ebay for £14, will report in when once I try them out. If I can use them in my currently horrible shoes, then I might just get started with walking until I buy the trainers.

anniesguesthouse wrote: »

As an aside I had my running gait analysed by Nike on Oxford Street (a free service, requires a few minutes jogging on a treadmill in front of shoppers and a camera attached to a computer) and was told I over-pronated. They "prescribed" me a pair of £115 trainers - I bought the exact same trainers brand new on Ebay for £35 the next day. :T (I pulled out the insoles in them and use Sorbothane ones though).

This. This is what I must do.

anniesguesthouse wrote: »

Good luck with the walking, if you get into it you might want to get a pedometer (about 99p off Ebay) to count your steps and see how many you take and use that to monitor your progress/distance. There's also a few map my walk/run type phone apps that I see a lot of on Facebook that can keep you motivated. Also some good audiobooks (I like language courses) on an mp3 player/your phone is a must.

A pedometer sounds like fun, and you actually reminded me that I'm supposed to be learning another language, thanks for all the tips! :j

Floss

Before you buy anything online, go to a good outdoor shop like Blacks or a local one with a good range of walking shoes & boots and an all-terrain "hill" (not Trespass or an outlet as most will have limited brands, sizes & styles) and ask for their advice. They will bring you all the different ranges to try, with advice on best brand for differing feet issues (e.g. I have slightly wide feet & very narrow heels, I can only wear Scarpa (2 sizes higher than a normal shoe) or Merrel (1 size higher), Karrimor and Salomon absolutely cripple me), you will be able to try them out on the "hill" and see which fit best and are most supportive for you. The staff will be specially trained in fitting walking footwear and you might end up spending a little more cash but saving in the long run by not buying something on recommendation that is not suitable for you.

cherryblossomzel

You don't say what kind of terrain you will be walking on. If you're intention is to only walk on flat terrain like sidewalks etc, then I would have thought a running shoe would be fine. If you want shoes to go "off-roading" in, then you might struggle in that price range. In that case it might be worth having a chat with the sales people in a specialist shoop like Go outdoors or similar. I recently bought an excellent pair of walking boots in Cotswold outdoor. The sales guy was fantastic, including their aftersale service (they took back a pair of insoles I tried because I couldn't get on with them). Expensive though.

Elan

I've looked at more online literature. Not from reputable websites to be fair (i.e. mostly blog type sites) but I'm a bit more befuddled.

They say there is no relationship between pronation and foot arch (so I might not overpronate after all), that finding the cause is more important than changing footwear as this can divert the issue to elsewhere in the body (so buying a corrective shoe may do more harm than good) that there could be many causes (which means more investigative work) and that the terms may very well be useless to begin with (blaaah). I also found curious mention of barefoot and minimalist shoes--does anyone know anything about these? Are they expensive?

I'm going to look for shoes today so I'm going to take all your advice with me.

Floss wrote: »

Before you buy anything online, go to a good outdoor shop like Blacks or a local one with a good range of walking shoes & boots and an all-terrain "hill" (not Trespass or an outlet as most will have limited brands, sizes & styles) and ask for their advice. They will bring you all the different ranges to try, with advice on best brand for differing feet issues (e.g. I have slightly wide feet & very narrow heels, I can only wear Scarpa (2 sizes higher than a normal shoe) or Merrel (1 size higher), Karrimor and Salomon absolutely cripple me), you will be able to try them out on the "hill" and see which fit best and are most supportive for you. The staff will be specially trained in fitting walking footwear and you might end up spending a little more cash but saving in the long run by not buying something on recommendation that is not suitable for you.

Thanks Floss, I've actually heard a lot of bad things about Karrimor to tell the truth (I'll be going Blacks today as you say---to ask the staff). I think my hurry is that I just want to get started real soon. Walking sounds like such a simple exercise, and I get to get fresh air as well, but now I'm looking for shoes, so I guess it's not as simple as I thought.

cherryblossomzel wrote: »

You don't say what kind of terrain you will be walking on. If you're intention is to only walk on flat terrain like sidewalks etc, then I would have thought a running shoe would be fine. If you want shoes to go "off-roading" in, then you might struggle in that price range. In that case it might be worth having a chat with the sales people in a specialist shoop like Go outdoors or similar. I recently bought an excellent pair of walking boots in Cotswold outdoor. The sales guy was fantastic, including their aftersale service (they took back a pair of insoles I tried because I couldn't get on with them). Expensive though.

Hi Cherryblossomzel, thanks, I'm going to try going to Go Outdoors today. I'm was planning sidewalks and parks, probably an hour to 2 hours. What about heels, I read the way we walk and run are different so the heels of walking shoes and running shoes are supposed to reflect that.Yea, I realize that my price range might be unreasonable, I was thinking so I was thinking so long as I know what to look for in a shoe I can find a suitable one rather than a very techy one. Like using vinegar over an expensive cleaning product because they share the same properties.

sjprmc01

I was looking at debenhams online this morning and they have some nike and adidas trainers heavily reduced to as little as 12.99-17.99

If you aren't going to be hiking /off road walking I'd just stick with a pair of trainers, tbh, lot lighter on the feet than most walking boots would be and I'd think more comfortable.

I think you may be reading too much into this. I have high arches I just look for a shoe that supports my arches. If I was running then the way I pronate could possibly cause injury so I'd look for something that gave me stability but just for normal walking I wouldn't bother I'd just get out there and do it

cherryblossomzel

sjprmc01 wrote: »

I think you may be reading too much into this.

I think you probably have something there. There are of course people with foot issues and legitimate need for special shoes/orthotics. And the OP may well be one of them. However, we are all probably conditioned to respond to some very aggressive marketing by shoe manufacturers and sales people, trying to convince us all that we have special problems that can only be solved by buying this or that particular brand of shoe.