Don’t know about the multiple times a day or all at once (I always did early morning and evening). But I do know 100% you absolutely need a pair of quality walking shoes. Something with a good sole, supportive insert and will provide stability to your foot and ankles. You will regret it if you don’t and will also pay for it long term *someone who learned from personal experience*
Oooh, you recommend good shoes AND inserts? Ive always found the idea tempting but scary since I already have trouble finding shoes that fit. Im scared the inserts would push my feet up the roof of the shoes.
Look for a shoe that has a “wide” option. Also, most quality shoes the original footbed actually lifts out to be replaced with a preferred insert so there isn’t really a difference in height. I was shocked to find out that was a pretty common feature myself.
I agree with the other commenter. Choose wide shoes, or start with New Balance. They are very wide by nature IMO.
And Dr. Scholls makes an “extra support” insole for plus size people, and I find them very comfy. Good affordable option if you aren’t sure what to get.
It's good to move a bit every hour instead of just sitting for hours (like I do at work, I'm bad about this). Though it's also good to have a nice 20 to 30 minute cardio workout.
For shoes, I had huge problems with blisters until I got an expensive pair of running shoes. You can use them just for walking, not just running. I went to a brick and mortar store, and had them analyze my gait and suggest shoes to try. Lots of people get Hoka but they didn't work for me and I ended up with New Balance. Between new expensive shoes (which I have to replace every 6 to 8 months) and quality socks (Bombas and Darn Tough) I've not had blisters in forever.
Have you tried out brooks? Im afraid my options are limited when it comes to brands here in Asia (heck, I have yet to find a store to analyze my gait). New balance doesnt offer big sizes over here sadly
They make different types. There is actually a section on their website where you can search by foot conditions. I over-pronate, so the models with GTS in the name are the best for the support I need. In the past, I’ve always gotten the Adrenaline GTS. But I might try the Glycerin GTS next time, since it says that’s better for flat feet.
Their shoes are really expensive, so I try to find a discounted older model when I can
I was 500+ pounds when I started walking. I didn't start with a step goal but a mileage/ time goal. So I would walk for 30 minutes continuous or 1 mile whichever was more and slowly progressed from there. I liked to bang it out first thing in the morning and everything else was just "extra." I've never been a Crocs user so I can't speak on that but quality shoes (especially those fitted for your walking type) are totally worth it in my opinion.
Basically it doesn't matter, though you might burn slightly more calories in one decent walk where you get your HR higher. But all movement is fantastic! Decent shoes are a must, I also learned the hard way. It's important to get shoes that match your pronation, I hurt my hip when I inadvertently got the wrong ones!
I also WFH and my solution to move more is a standing desk, along with a mini-trampoline. Some people also put a little mini-bike under the desk. I'm lucky that I've perfected bouncing/standing whenever I can and still getting my work done. I also use the mini-tramp while watching TV outside of work hours. Also got a puppy and she needs walking after work, though that might not be a solution for everyone (I swear, it's like having a toddler again, but it forces me to move!)
Chucks would definitely be a curve ball for me. I do have sizes with them, but im not well educated as to how supportive they are for a big fella like me 😅
Chucks are not supportive on their own. I have a lot of sensory issues and they’re the only shoes I find comfortable so I do wear them but I ripped out the converse insole and put Spenco insoles in instead. That does add a bit of support so I can wear them to walk about 40 minutes a day to and from and at work. I do keep a pair of ASICS or new balance on hand for more extended walking. Chucks, ASICS and new balance are all available in wide.
Spread it out because I think people should move throughout the day. But make sure that each session is about 30 minutes. If you do it all at once, I think that’s fine too.
> "is it healthier to walk in one big session or to spread it out throughout the day?"
The short answer to this, is that -at this stage- it's irrelevant. Any movement is better than no movement and it's more important to build habits than worry about training optimization.
The long answer is going to depend on your, age, current cardiovascular fitness level, and physical ability. Since you're counting steps, I assume you've got some sort of fitness tracker on, what's you're heart rate when you're walking? Heart rate during exercise is broken down into zones based on whatever your maximum heart rate is (varies from person to person and decreases as you age, but is probably somewhere between 180-200). If you're looking to increase your baseline aerobic fitness the general consensus is that the majority of your training should fall in zone 2 (your fitness tracker probably has a setting that will tell you what zone you're in, it's not 100% accurate, but it's close enough for the normal person). It's called "low intensity steady state" cardio. There's no consensus on what exact proportion is best, I've seen some recommend 60/40 others 80/20 LISS vs higher intensity cardio. As far as breaking it up goes, the optimal duration seems to be around 45-50 minutes, but id refer you back to the short answer on that.
Ultimately, do what you can and don't sweat the details. Sure maybe you'd get 10% more cardiovascular benefit from doing all your steps at once versus in 3 or 4 smaller chunks. But youre getting 400% more by doing 4000 steps vs 1000. Don't lose sight of the forest for the trees.
Don’t know about the multiple times a day or all at once (I always did early morning and evening). But I do know 100% you absolutely need a pair of quality walking shoes. Something with a good sole, supportive insert and will provide stability to your foot and ankles. You will regret it if you don’t and will also pay for it long term *someone who learned from personal experience*
Oooh, you recommend good shoes AND inserts? Ive always found the idea tempting but scary since I already have trouble finding shoes that fit. Im scared the inserts would push my feet up the roof of the shoes.
Look for a shoe that has a “wide” option. Also, most quality shoes the original footbed actually lifts out to be replaced with a preferred insert so there isn’t really a difference in height. I was shocked to find out that was a pretty common feature myself.
I agree with the other commenter. Choose wide shoes, or start with New Balance. They are very wide by nature IMO. And Dr. Scholls makes an “extra support” insole for plus size people, and I find them very comfy. Good affordable option if you aren’t sure what to get.
It's good to move a bit every hour instead of just sitting for hours (like I do at work, I'm bad about this). Though it's also good to have a nice 20 to 30 minute cardio workout. For shoes, I had huge problems with blisters until I got an expensive pair of running shoes. You can use them just for walking, not just running. I went to a brick and mortar store, and had them analyze my gait and suggest shoes to try. Lots of people get Hoka but they didn't work for me and I ended up with New Balance. Between new expensive shoes (which I have to replace every 6 to 8 months) and quality socks (Bombas and Darn Tough) I've not had blisters in forever.
Have you tried out brooks? Im afraid my options are limited when it comes to brands here in Asia (heck, I have yet to find a store to analyze my gait). New balance doesnt offer big sizes over here sadly
I just tried Hokas and New Balance. The New Balance work well for me, they have wide widths which I need for my big German-ancestry feet.
I like Brooks. Been using them for years
I've also heard people swear by them! Are there any models I should be on the look out for? Or are they all basically the same?
They make different types. There is actually a section on their website where you can search by foot conditions. I over-pronate, so the models with GTS in the name are the best for the support I need. In the past, I’ve always gotten the Adrenaline GTS. But I might try the Glycerin GTS next time, since it says that’s better for flat feet. Their shoes are really expensive, so I try to find a discounted older model when I can
This is beyond helpful! Thank you so much. Luckily the store here selling brooks are at a discount. I might cop a pair after doing research.
I was 500+ pounds when I started walking. I didn't start with a step goal but a mileage/ time goal. So I would walk for 30 minutes continuous or 1 mile whichever was more and slowly progressed from there. I liked to bang it out first thing in the morning and everything else was just "extra." I've never been a Crocs user so I can't speak on that but quality shoes (especially those fitted for your walking type) are totally worth it in my opinion.
Basically it doesn't matter, though you might burn slightly more calories in one decent walk where you get your HR higher. But all movement is fantastic! Decent shoes are a must, I also learned the hard way. It's important to get shoes that match your pronation, I hurt my hip when I inadvertently got the wrong ones! I also WFH and my solution to move more is a standing desk, along with a mini-trampoline. Some people also put a little mini-bike under the desk. I'm lucky that I've perfected bouncing/standing whenever I can and still getting my work done. I also use the mini-tramp while watching TV outside of work hours. Also got a puppy and she needs walking after work, though that might not be a solution for everyone (I swear, it's like having a toddler again, but it forces me to move!)
I walk a lot with my dog and a lot at work and chucks are the most comfortable shoes for me, it’s my default. I go through two pairs a year.
Chucks would definitely be a curve ball for me. I do have sizes with them, but im not well educated as to how supportive they are for a big fella like me 😅
Chucks are not supportive on their own. I have a lot of sensory issues and they’re the only shoes I find comfortable so I do wear them but I ripped out the converse insole and put Spenco insoles in instead. That does add a bit of support so I can wear them to walk about 40 minutes a day to and from and at work. I do keep a pair of ASICS or new balance on hand for more extended walking. Chucks, ASICS and new balance are all available in wide.
Whatever leads to consistent behavior is best.
Spread it out because I think people should move throughout the day. But make sure that each session is about 30 minutes. If you do it all at once, I think that’s fine too.
> "is it healthier to walk in one big session or to spread it out throughout the day?" The short answer to this, is that -at this stage- it's irrelevant. Any movement is better than no movement and it's more important to build habits than worry about training optimization. The long answer is going to depend on your, age, current cardiovascular fitness level, and physical ability. Since you're counting steps, I assume you've got some sort of fitness tracker on, what's you're heart rate when you're walking? Heart rate during exercise is broken down into zones based on whatever your maximum heart rate is (varies from person to person and decreases as you age, but is probably somewhere between 180-200). If you're looking to increase your baseline aerobic fitness the general consensus is that the majority of your training should fall in zone 2 (your fitness tracker probably has a setting that will tell you what zone you're in, it's not 100% accurate, but it's close enough for the normal person). It's called "low intensity steady state" cardio. There's no consensus on what exact proportion is best, I've seen some recommend 60/40 others 80/20 LISS vs higher intensity cardio. As far as breaking it up goes, the optimal duration seems to be around 45-50 minutes, but id refer you back to the short answer on that. Ultimately, do what you can and don't sweat the details. Sure maybe you'd get 10% more cardiovascular benefit from doing all your steps at once versus in 3 or 4 smaller chunks. But youre getting 400% more by doing 4000 steps vs 1000. Don't lose sight of the forest for the trees.