So ladies, are you planning to shop for a pair of walking shoes? Then how do you pick the best out of so many options that are available in the women’s collection? Firstly, let me tell you that finding a pair of footwear that is suitable for your feet and offers the required comfort is not a tough job. All you need to do is some research about the most comfortable walking shoes for women and get some tips on picking the right fitting pair. So just move on to the next section and get to know how to choose them. Also, mentioned are the brief details of top picks in this category.

Choosing Comfort over Style

While choosing a comfortable pair of shoes, the first thing that you must look for is the ‘right fit’. Only a right fitting pair will give you the required comfort and avoid foot problems caused due to walking for longer duration. Next factor that makes a good pair of footwear for walking is good cushioning for the inner sole. This factor along with a good outer sole will be able to absorb shocks and avoid problems caused due to walking on uneven surfaces. While searching for shoes, look for a quality non-slip outer sole as well. Also, make sure that you opt for specialty or orthopedic footwear in case you have foot problems such as high arch, flat feet, plantar fasciitis, etc. which might worsen due to use of wrong footwear. Look for shoes providing medium arch support even if you do not have any specific foot problem. With shoes having laces or velcro straps, you get further options of adjusting the fit. Look for breathable shoes if you are going to wear these for long hours.

Best Options Available

New Balance Walking Shoes
New Balance offers a huge product line for women. Go for the models in motion control or cushioning range if you are looking for simply comfortable shoes for walking. Further you can also checkout the range of true balance toning shoes that offer enhanced muscle toning as you wear these and walk ahead. Walking Strike Path is another range which are known for the ultimate comfort they provide. These are lightweight, durable and offer mid-sole cushioning as well.

Nike Women’s Walking Collection
You can browse thought the footwear collection from Women’s Walking range of products. The Nike Shoo-In Women’s Walking Shoe which has a sleek and modern design offers ultimate fit and walking comfort. It also consists of rubber outer-sole with Rolling Rail technology for smooth heel-to-toe transition and Lightweight Phylon mid-sole for cushioning to enhance the overall comfort. Also checkout the Nike Free Walk+ Women’s Walking Shoe. This has a lightweight and durable design which gives you optimum comfort while walking for longer duration. With added support and breathable features this is another good pick in the category.

Rockport Casual Walking Shoes
If you are searching for shoes with trendy look and not the sporty feel, then you must explore the amazing collection from Rockport. Find a piece suitable for your taste of style in the trueWALK collection from this brand. Flat ballerina shoes, pumps, sporty shoes, and the wedge-styled ballet shoes from this product line which ensure that you look great and get the best comfort at the same time are simply awesome.

Brooks Addiction Walker
Checkout the Addiction Walker product line from Brooks which offers extremely comfortable shoes which you won’t mind wearing throughout the day. With the MoGo midsole cushioning and a full-grain leather upper support this has an ultimate slip-resistant outsole as well which adds to the overall walking experience. You can also try out the Addiction Walker V-Strap from this brand.

Merrell Walking Shoes
Merrell offers a wide range of options in comfortable shoes. You can browse through its barefoot collection which has a range of footwear in sleek and stylish designs. The collection of slip-ons is great for all those fashionable ladies looking for trendy, yet comfortable shoes. The Multi-sport collection is a must checkout for those who are searching for sporty shoes.

There are various reasons why women wear high-heeled footwear. Some women wear heels to look taller while others wear it to make a style statement. Whatever the reason may be, one should be aware of the effects that it has on the body. Normally, high heels are 2 to 6 inches high. The problems caused due to constantly using high heels vary according to the length of the heel, shorter the heel lesser is the problem. Following segment deals with the effects of high heels on the body.

Adverse Effects High Heels

Though wearing high-heeled shoes is in vogue today, it can cause pain tomorrow. Using high-heeled shoes too often, for a very long time can have harmful effects on the body. It can cause shortening of the calf muscles, flattening of the arch of the foot which can result into chronic postural problems. It affects the normal body structure and disturbs its comfortable posture. Hence, women who wear high heels for the first time may suffer from foot pain and awkwardness while walking. Even the feet get tired after a while as you are not into the habit of it. It affects your back severely. This leads to various physical complications which are pretty serious. Following are some major areas affected due to the use of high-heeled shoes:

Body
Body alignment is very important to have an erect posture. The spinal cord is the most important part of the human body. It supports the body and helps to maintain a straight posture and so does the lower back. It acts as the center of the body and helps you to stand and walk normally. High heels disrupt this normal posture making it a little curved. A high-heeled shoe puts your foot in a downward pointed position, putting more pressure on the forefoot. This forces you to adjust the rest of the body in order to maintain balance. The lower part of the body leans forward because of the downward pointing position of the foot. Hence, the upper part needs to lean backwards to keep you balanced. This is not the normal posture of your body.

Back
As mentioned earlier, high heels affect the lower back portion of the body severely. It causes lumbar (low back) spine flattening. The body is forced to lean forward making the hip muscles work more than normal to enable walking. This may lead to shortening of the hip flexor muscles (located on the upper part of your thighs) causing contracture (flattening of the spine). But, some experts believe that everyone does not suffer from back pain. It occurs in women who already display the signs of backache and other back problems.

Knee
Normally, when a person walks, he/she keeps his/her knees straight. Walking in high heels disturbs their alignment. The result, women walking with bent knees. Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease of knee-joint. Women are more prone to this disorder than men. Constant use of high heels is often a cause of it. It is better to avoid using high heels if you are suffering from osteoarthritis.

Feet
The downward position of the foot puts an increased pressure on the forefoot resulting into foot deformities like neuromas, bunions, hammer toes and bunionettes. Hammer toe is also known as claw toe where there is an imbalance between the pull of the top and bottom tendons.

Wearing High Heels During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, women have to take care of their physical health. The posture of the body is altered and the lady has to carry herself safely. Maintaining body balance while walking with high heels during pregnancy is not possible. The ligaments that control the lower back and the muscles around are softened and stretched because of an increased ovarian. These already weakened ligaments are at a higher risk of getting damaged due to high-heeled shoes because it alters your posture putting extra strain on them. Therefore flat shoes are a better option during pregnancy because it will keep you comfortable avoiding complications and dangerous consequences. But, there are some women who cannot even think of wearing flat shoes. Wearing flat shoes gives them the feeling of naked feet. For them, it is better to use heels of about 2 to 3 inches maximum.

If you are a high-heel pro, make sure you take some of these precautionary measures while wearing them. Following are some tips that will guide you while using high heels:
You should try to use a shorter heel like 1 to 2 inches high because it won’t cause much problems or the problems caused can be easily recovered.
Try wearing high heels on occasions where you will not be on your feet for long time i.e., you should be in a comfortable sitting position which will avoid pressure on your feet.
Generally, in a high heel shoe design, the toe of the shoe is pointed which crushes the toe of the feet to a great extent. Also the heel is so high that the weight of the body automatically falls on the toe which can cause great pain. The best option to overcome this problem is to wear open toe shoes which allows your toe some movement and relaxation.
Always choose a size larger than usual and insert heel cups in the back of the shoe to get a better and comfortable fit.
Feet are obviously more important than fashion trends. Trends, exists today, exhaust tomorrow, but the feet will carry you everywhere for lifetime. You should treat them nicely. You are not asked to stop using high heels completely, rather to decide the right time and occasion to wear it.