by Dr. Sam Benjamin It's important to wear shoes made for the specific exercise. Here are some basic things to know about walking shoes.

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I have found decently priced walking shoes at a number of discount retailers. Ask for help from the salesperson to fit of the shoe for your best performance.

I am not planning to enter the Olympics, so for me shoes must look good (to double as leisure wear) and feel good so that I can keep in shape. Most of us do not need to shave a quarter second off our run to make it into the final heat of a national competition. So I rarely go to a specialty store where I'll pay a lot more for the fitting expertise.

If you have an HSA (Health Savings Account), you can use it to cover the cost of orthotics - but not the shoes - with pretax dollars.


You are not going to walk long if you have shoes that rub and irritate your feet. Different shoes are made for walking, running, and jogging. There are even shoes that perform better on certain terrains.

For example:

• When I walk in the desert mountains near my home in Arizona, I use all-terrain shoes that help me keep my footing on ascents and descents.
  
  
• If you walk typically in shopping malls or on city streets, choose lightweight shoes with less tread in the sole.
  
  

Leather or cloth uppers tend to "breathe" better, cutting the amount of moisture in your shoe as you walk. Many new models have cushioned heels, others wider toe boxes, and still others have ankles and arches to accommodate a wide variety of feet.


Consider orthotics or shoe inserts if your feet, knees, or hips hurt.

Orthotics (corrective appliances) are inserts usually constructed of thin, flexible material that can bend with your foot. They are often custom-fitted to correct certain characteristics of your foot that might cause discomfort. For example, flat feet might cause pain in your arch, knees, and hips as a result of rotation caused by your gait. An orthotic could relieve this to some extent.

Orthotics can be very costly because they are often fitted in the office of a podiatrist (specialist in foot care), in a specialty shoe or sports store, or in a center for prosthetics. The podiatrist takes impressions of your feet and sends them to a lab that makes the orthotics. There are online sites that will sell you the orthotic with the kits for much less, but who knows about the quality of the product or if you gave the right impression.


An inexpensive shoe insert, which you can buy at pharmacies, will cushion your heel or fit the back of the shoe more snuggly. Shoe stores usually charge more for these "specialty" products but offer the convenience of installing and custom shaping the items in your shoe at the time of purchase.

Sometimes it is best to wear the shoe for a while to identify the "wear points" before purchasing these products. Some specialty stores will "guarantee" a fit, so understand store policy before you buy.


Sprinkle a bit of cornstarch into your shoes to decrease the amount of foot odor and keep the inside of the shoes dry. Stay away from scented products or anything that has talc, such as talcum powder.

Since fungi, the cause of athlete's foot, love dark, moist places - such as in your shoes and in between your toes - corn starch will diminish the chances of getting skin fungus as you sweat up your shoes in a brisk walk.


Even moderate exercise means sweat. So keep your feet dry by wearing socks, which act as wicks and absorb the moisture. In addition, thicker socks tend to be a buffer against irritation.