Men these days are concerned about their waistlines and maintaining youthful physiques. Not all guys want to go to the gym and work out and get all buff, and not all guys want to go running to stay in shape. They aren’t the sorts to go play football with the other guys or hit the tennis courts and possibly blow out a knee in the process. What these men are looking for is a low-impact, fun way to keep the pounds from adding up and stay healthy. One of the popular ways to improve your overall fitness is to go walking.

It may seem obvious but many men out there would benefit tremendously from simply going for walks on

a regular basis. They’ve been duped by all the commercials on television encouraging them to join a gym, purchase expensive and bizarre home workout equipment, or send away for fitness videos hosted by creepy weirdos. All this press makes it seem like staying in shape requires a big investment of time and money. This is not true. Walking is an inexpensive hobby, which requires little more than what you were born with, and it doesn’t have to take up a lot of time.

If you’ve decided that you want to start going for walks in order to improve your healthy, it’s widely advised that you purchase a pair of good quality walking shoes. Sure, you can go for walks in

any shoe you already own, but experts recommend that you wear a shoe specifically designed for walking.

What differentiates a walking shoe from a conventional shoe? Shoes made for walking are designed to minimize the chances of injury, make the most of the walking stride, and perform well. Walking shoes are well-cushioned and supportive. For those of you simply going for leisurely walks around the block, any decent pair of running shoes should provide all the cushioning and support you’ll need. If you’re going to be taking longer walks, you should look into shoes with as much cushioning as possible.

Walking shoes are usually more flexible than running shoes. This is because walking requires the full motion of your feet

and ankles. Running, by definition, is done more on the balls of your feet. A walking stride starts at the heel and rolls through the entire length of your foot. The heel on walking shoes is notched to allow a greater range of movement.

When shopping for a new pair of men’s walking shoes, you should be aware of the characteristics of your stride. Do you tend to roll your ankles inwards, outwards, or do you feet strike the ground at a fairly neutral angle? If you’re not sure, take a look at the shoes you already own. Is there a great amount of wear on one side? Bring your shoes with you to the shoe store so the salesperson

can look at them and determine which shoes will work best with your stride. Also, you should determine what your arches are like. Do you have high arches, normal arches, or low arches? If you don’t know, the best way to find out is to step in some water and then step on the ground. If you see most of your footprint, then you have low arches, or flat feet. If you don’t see a lot of your foot, then you have high arches. This little bit of info will help you find the right pair of walking shoes.

Remember, most important of all is how the shoes feel to you. Learn what you can about walking shoes from the

internet and your local shoe store, but listen to yourself in the end. Don’t let yourself be pressured into getting something less than what you want.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as designer shoes at http://www.designershoesplus.com