OT: most comfortable walking shoe?

[MikeD]

Other than walking around barefoot, what are some good foot strengthening exercises?

[XXtwindad]

Originally Posted by MikeD

Other than walking around barefoot, what are some good foot strengthening exercises?

1) "Toe curls" Gripping and releasing a towel with your feet.

2) Balancing on one foot. You can progress by doing bending toe touches etc. You can also do this with a BOSU ball, provided you can balance on both feet first.

3) Standing calf raises on one foot.

[jpritchet74]

I absolutely LOVE my "barefoot" sandles. I have had then for a few years and I wear them everywhere - even if my wife and teenage daughter absolutely hate them. The most comfortable things ever. Leaves a sweet tanline in the summer too.

https://www.earthrunners.com/

[XXtwindad]

I recently purchased some Lems (highly regraded on this thread) and a new set of Keens. Specifically, they were the Lems Primal Two, and the Keens Venture Vent. The crucial caveat: I have flat feet. This condition can be really debilitating. Among other things, it can cause plantar fasciitis, tightness in the posterior muscle chain, tightness in the adductors, and knee and back pain. I occasionally get a bad case of plantar fasciitis that is eventually mitigated by constantly stretching my calves.

The best remedy for improving the smaller muscles in your feet: waking. A lot. And when it comes to walking a lot, the Lems sucked. I don’t believe that a “no arch/ zero/drop” shoe is good for everyone. Particularly people with flat feet. I’ve always been a Keen fanboy. Walk a mile in my feet and you’ll see why. Comfortable as hell. And breathable, to boot.

Keens for the win. All the way.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

1) "Toe curls" Gripping and releasing a towel with your feet.

2) Balancing on one foot. You can progress by doing bending toe touches etc. You can also do this with a BOSU ball, provided you can balance on both feet first.

3) Standing calf raises on one foot.

2a) Using something like this is smaller and just as effective as a Bosu. Blue is the medium difficulty. TheraBand Stability Pad

4) Balancing on one foot, leaning forward (extend free leg behind you), come back up. Slowly.

5) A Wobble board is good, too.

A lot of these are really about stability and balance, but they can also work various muscles, especially the small supporting muscles that help you maintain balance and stability.

[martl]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Walking is the new running. Any favorites? Wide toe boxes preferred. I like Keens, but always interested in other opinions ...

Salomon GTX is like walking on clouds. Downside, they don't last forever and the Gore version may give you very sweaty socks (eek!)

[RWL2222]

Chacos for me. Otherwise, a lugged sole and a leather insert.

While I can't advise it to someone else I hiked Acadia for a week in Chacos without injury or issue.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by martl

Salomon GTX is like walking on clouds. Downside, they don't last forever and the Gore version may give you very sweaty socks (eek!)

Yeah, nix the GoreTex. None of my backpacking shoes/boots are GoreTex.

[slowgoing]

ASICS kayano. I have the 26s but 27s are out.

[cgates66]

++ on Altra (whoever mentioned that).

They have plenty of cushion, wide / foot-shaped toe box (not pointy), reasonably snug heel and, importantly, zero drop from heel to toe.

The big heel-toe drop in most mainstream running and walking shoes is an obvious biomechanical disaster for healthy people, walking or running. They cripple your ankle mobility and result in a premature foot strike, among other horribles.

Heels in shoes originated, as I understand it, for horseback riding with stirrups. Then the Frenchies created the exaggerated heel (for men first, then women) as a fashion statement around the time of Louis XIV. Stacked heels extend the leg-line which is visually appealing to most, and as a fashion statement are a throwback to riding horses - a sign of wealth of power, which is usually desirable in fashion.

Highly recommend "Running Fast and Injury Free" (available for free on the web as a .pdf) by Gordon Pirie, an Olympic 5K runner.

For those with issues, of course you'll have specific needs. But the modern stacked heel has probably caused a lot more injuries and slowed people down way more than those with special requirements who it has helped.

[benb]

AFAICT soccer cleats always had 0 drop..

I hurt my back a long time ago (teenager) playing soccer..

Shoes with some drop really don't agree with my back since. For some reason they cause me to pronate more and that screws my back up and irritates it. They actually feel more comfortable on my feet.. but only until they wreck my back.

I'm not talking about big heels... talking about I need in the range of 10-12mm.

Running is kind of out the door for me anyway at this point, so that doesn't really matter.

There's not that much solid science behind either heels or flats. It seems to go back and forth all over the place.

The whole zero-drop/minimalist running thing seems to have peaked a long time ago.

[cinema]

while im not familiar with actual science re drop/zero drop, there is a lot of science about barefoot which seems closer to zero drop to me but maybe thats an illusion

‘Walking barefoot decreases loading on the lower extremity joints in knee osteoarthritis’
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1002/art.22123

even neutral drop not as good as barefoot:
‘ These findings provide evidence that stability and neutral shoes increase peak KFM compared to barefoot’
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30636973/

idea is to get as close to barefoot as possible. for regular walking imo it would be a neutral, very low stack leather soled moccasin. soft star makes these. when in recreational place like a park or something why not just take off your shoes. watch out for needles in bay area of course

[cmg]

the stability and wobble boards helped me reduce knee pains. Physical therapy used them. so there's something to it.

Earth shoes are still being made with heel drop. yea, i had a pair. the best. https://earthshoes.com/mens-shoes

[m_sasso]

Originally Posted by Steve in SLO

No specific recommendations on brand here, but would consider three things:

First, look at your feet and decide whether or not they are straight from the heel to the toes, or have a slight deviation towards the midline (metatarsus adductus). This will help you decide whether you need a shoe with a straight last or a curved last to match your foot shape. When you go shopping you can flip the shoes over and look at the soul. It will be evident whether or not that the soul is straight or curved towards the midline.

Second, hold the shoe in your hand and bend it to see if the ‘break’ in the sole comes approximately where your foot flexes when you stand up and lift your heel. In other words, the break in the sole should be under the ball of your foot for best comfort.

Third, make sure the standard insoles are very comfortable or find something that is that you can migrate between shoes. In many cases, a good set of insoles will outweigh the shoes themselves.

Thanks for some sanity, best bits of shared knowledge and insight in 5 pages. It is amazing how many outdoor shops selling hiking/walking shoes I can step into and the sales people look at you sideways when you mention a board or slip last.

[Spoker]

I quit eating meat 2 months ago and the plantar fasciitis I could not get rid off disappeared. No shoe or insert or stretching or taping was able to do that.
It might be just coincidence, but just throwing it out there.