UNITED STATES—Exercise, yep, it’s that 8-letter word that most of us never want to hear, but guess what we have to be active one way or another. Most of us may not engage in rigorous exercise on a daily basis, however, a body in movement is better than a body that is immobile. I’ve recently learned that walking is great exercise for the body, but if you’re not prepared for a long walk, a brisk walk or a steady walk that says something about you.

I’ve been walking a ton to my classes on campus; more so than I’ve done in the past. I love walking, trust me I’d tell this to anyone I encounter on a daily basis. Most people would consider me a fast walker, but I would beg to differ. I don’t necessarily believe I walk fast, I guess other people walk quite slow in my opinion.

You might be asking WHY this guy is talking about walking. Well, having a good pair of walking shoes is critical to your feet. Man, I’m someone who is more about athletic wear and looking sleek in public. Yep, just because a pair of shoes fit your feet, does not necessarily mean they are good for your feet. I learned that during the first week of classes. I wore a pair of my favorite shoes, and after about 30 minutes of walking from one side of campus to the next side of campus I thought my feet were about to fall off.

Was I out of shape? No. I was full of energy, I wasn’t exhausted, but my feet were aching; I realized that the shoes I were wearing were not adequate for long walks. My feet felt constrained, they ached and after I got off my feet I had to literally sit in a bathtub and soak and massage my feet. That immediately forced me to look at every single pair of shoes that I owned.

It soon became a realization that none of my shoes were feasible for long walks. My eyes have been opened to the importance of finding the right pair of shoes for the right situation. You can’t just purchase shoes as a way of showing your fashion sense; you have to think about shoes in terms of your health and your body. Don’t simply read this column and think I’m telling you that walking is good. That is not the only goal here people!

The message is to understand the importance of having the right pair of sneakers, shoes, whatever you want to call them, when you plan to be walking for more than 20 minutes on a given day. If it’s a trend that you will entertain on a daily basis, it is indeed a wise decision to invest money on a pair of comfortable, sturdy and somewhat fashion forward athletic wear.

If your feet are aching after a long walk and you haven’t been walking for more than 45 minutes, it might be a sign that not only are you not as healthy as you expect, but it’s more likely those shoes on your feet are causing the major problem people. A comfortable walk is much better than an aching walk.