You go out for your morning stroll in your brand new walking shoes. You soak it all up: the smell of freshly cut grass, the sounds of magpies warbling, the feel of the morning sun on your face.
But when you get home, there’s something not quite right. You take off your shoes. Even though they’re brand new, your feet seem to be killing you after your walk!
Sadly, we hear of this problem all too often.
There’s a lot more to consider when investing in new walking shoes than you might think. One of the core factors? Cushioning.
Here we’ll ask the experts at Forbes Footwear about the importance of cushioning in walking shoes, and why we’re your #1 team in Sydney for new walking shoes that keep your feet healthy.
Isaac Newton’s 3rd law of motion
Like we said – there’s a lot more behind the importance of cushioning in walking shoes than you might originally think. To illustrate just how crucial cushioning is, we have to go back in time to 1687 when young physicist Isaac Newton (the guy who discovered gravity when an apple fell on his head) discovered the three laws of motion.
The 3rd law, in particular, shows us how important it is to choose walking shoes with sufficient cushioning. This law indicates that:
“If two bodies exert forces on each other, these forces have the same magnitude but opposite directions.”
In other words, action and reaction. When you go for your morning walk, your feet are pushing down upon the footpath. But that very same footpath you’re walking on is creating an equal reaction, pushing back upwards on your feet!
The effects of this on the rest of your body
The effects of the reaction don’t just stop there. When you walk, the reaction underneath your feet sends a vibration that resonates through your entire body, all the way up to your head. And while your body adapts to this vibration very well, it can still put strain on your feet, ankles, legs and even your back.
The role of cushioning
That’s where cushioning acts as a mitigating force between the ground and the rest of your body. Cushioning actually absorbs this shock, relieving the strain on your feet and the rest of your body.
The right cushioning design depends on what type of walking you do (speed walking, regular walking, hiking) and where you do it (footpaths, ovals, grasslands, gravel paths).
The perfect walking shoes at Forbes Footwear
Whichever style of walker you are, Forbes Footwear has the shoe with the perfect amount of cushioning for you. Forbes Footwear are Sydney’s specialists in high-quality shoes. Since 1940, we’ve been Sydney’s finest team in shoe retail. The Forbes philosophy is simple: deliver quality products at fair prices and keep customers happy as can be. Browse the range online today, or visit our Hornsby location.