The right time to replace your walking shoes

So how do you know when it’s the right time to replace your walking shows?

Yesterday I was horrified to see how run down the soles of my walking shoes were when I took them off and they fell over on their side.

You would think that someone like me who does a lot of walking would be really conscious of keeping my shoes up to scratch, but because I put them together neatly when I take them off each day, I don’t tend to look at the soles!

I knew they hadn’t been feeling as comfortable as they’d once been, but I hadn’t really noticed that one heel in particular was worn down at an odd angle, and overall the soles were starting to miss a bit of tread!

I’ve read you should replace your walking shoes after about 500 miles (or 800 kms) but if you’re anything like me, you have no idea how many miles or kms you’ve walked!

So, what are the (obvious) signs that it’s time to replace your shoes:

  • they start to feel a bit less comfortable
  • walking seems to take a bit more effort
  • you don’t seem to be walking evenly on both feet
  • you have a tendency to slip on wet or uneven surfaces
  • you may be experiencing pain in your foot, ankle, shin or knee
  • your shoes seem to have lost their sponginess

Fortunately I have another pair of the same shoe in storage so am happy to retire this particular pair to the gardening/working around the house category.

It’s easy to put off lots of things in life, but please don’t be like me and risk possible injury or accident by walking on soles which have lost their soul!

Happy walking 🙂

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