Incredible medicine for aging well: Walking!

I just walked a solid hour at a face pace. I'll feel relaxed all day, my sleep will be very deep and it will set me up for a successful week ahead.

It depends on how wide your toes are whether Brooks shoes are preferred. With my narrow foot and narrow toes, Brooks are No. 1 for me. I like Brooks assortment of styles and their wide range of sizes. I wear a women's 13 which is very hard to find, Brooks makes that size in various widths, several styles, and many colors. They make a perfect shoe for me. I just wish they made a dress shoe!

Just a note to make certain your shoes are still supporting your body as they should: Put the pair of shoes on a flat surface such as a table or counter. Get down at the level of the shoes and look at the center back seam of each shoe. If the center back seam is not straight up and down, the shoes have seen their useful life, and need to be replaced. Once the center back seam of either shoe begins to tilt in either direction, the shoes are no longer supporting your body and especially your back. If need be, place a ruler with a flat end on it next to the shoes to use as something that is perpendicular to the flat surface. The center seam of each shoe should be parallel to the ruler (or use a small carpenter's level). If that center seam isn't straight up and down on either shoe, it is time to replace those shoes. Check them about every six months, depending on the amount of wear they get.

Great advice! My Dad was a letter carrier, and he used to polish all of our shoes and inspect them every Saturday. Back in the day, they were all leather, and the shoemaker could replace heels, outer soles or insides. After a certain point he would reject them, and send us to get new ones - in his words, "the goodness has gone out of them" and sent us to one of 3 preferred shoeshops for a new pair. Imagine the expense with 6 growing kids, but it was one place that they never skipped or accepted hand-me-downs. To this day, I find myself discarding shoes that look okay, but are worn down like you describe. At 73, with a long life of being on my feet, other than arthritis I have few foot problems after a life of good , well-fitted shoes.

Thank you for your confirmation that shoes do have only a certain lifetime, as you family's shoemaker knew.
It is not as apparent when the shoe's sole and heel are of one piece, but the seam down the back tells the tale, and needs to be examined every few months.

The first thing to breakdown in a shoe is typically the midsole, even though the upper, and even the outsole, may still be in very good condition. You can go by miles or time in the shoe. That is usually a reliable indicator of when to replace them. 300-400 miles is the standard. Even at 200 miles you can tell a noticeable difference. In a new shoe, same make and model, will feel higher off the ground, have far better support, cushioning and over all the shoe will simply feel a lot better. The best part is though it makes being on your feet all that more pleasurable while at the same time providing the optimal health of your feet and body.

Not everyone is able to keep track of the miles the shoes have on then (not everyone uses trackers). I do appreciate that comparing an older shoe to a new one is a very good way to see if the older shoe is still supportive and provides the cushioning needed, or whether it is time to replace it. Thanks for suggesting this. (I've got a new pair coming that will be delivered tomorrow. I'll test the old ones against the new to see if it is time to retire the ones I've been wearing.)

Oh, how I love walking! I can't walk as long as I did a few years back, but I still do it. Looking forward to warmer weather.

I recently got an AFO brace due to stage 4 osteoarthritis in my right ankle. I can still walk but need a better shoe fit with the brace.

Thank you for the shoe brand suggestions!

CindyC 🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️
CHrcc

It's easy to ballpark the miles on a shoe if you walk regularly and do the same distance on a regular basis without a tracker. It can also be easily figured by time. For example, if you walk 2 miles (average time about 40 minutes) 4 days a week that would be about 30 miles a month. So you know to change your shoes about once a year or even every 18 months.

I'm happy you are getting new shoes. Please compare them and let us know what you find. I try not to do this test at 200 miles because I know I'll never go back to the old shoes, even though they have 100-200 miles left!

If I could walk a distance that would be one way to measure it. Unfortunately, my ability to walk is limited to the walking I do in the house and what I do in errands or grocery shopping. Some people count steps; I'm not in that generation.
How are my new shoes? I'm comparing Brooks GHOST ?? with new Brooks GHOST 15. The new shoes have a lot more cushioning, and the shoes hold my feet in better alignment. I've noticed that my feet are beginning take on an inward curve; these shoes prevent that. (I haven't worn them to the point where they have accomodated to the shape of my foot.) Looks like these are keepers.

Yes, new shoes are typically like that. I'm glad they worked for you.

From my experience a good quality shoe, like Brooks, will last the average person about 2 years of daily casual use such as walking about the house, errands and shopping, if that's the only or mostly only shoe you wear. The shoe will still look very good but it will have lost some of it's shape, support and the midsole will be noticeably compressed. Then it's time for a new pair.