I’ve been walking 4.5 miles a day, 5 days a week since Jan 2nd. As of today, I have lost ~53 pounds, gone from being pre-diabetic to normal levels, lost my entire wardrobe in the process, and finally my Vans died. They have been loyal a.f.

Glad they helped me on this journey to better health.

    • nicgentile@lemmy.worldOP
      13·
      4 days ago

      I bought them two years ago, and barely broke them in. I put them to serious work this year. They were still new, but they did put in the work.

  • veroxii@aussie.zone
    262·
    4 days ago

    Everyone here trying to tell you to get more padded shoes. I’m going to suggest another route.

    Vans are relatively flat “skater” shoes. It tells me you’re already used to walking without an additional heel.

    I recommend looking into low drop or “zero drop” shoes… Aka “barefoot” style shoes.

    I personally wear various Lems models when I need a covered shoe. But 99% of the time I wear my Tevas sandles. People go hiking for days and miles in these. I’ve traveled all around the world walking many miles in them. And my feet and joints have never felt better.

    We’ve evolved for millions of years to walk upright on our feet as they are. Not to walk in padded heels. Our heels are already padded.

    Set your feet free and enjoy the breeze in summer time. :)

    Maybe it’s not for you, but I think it’s worth a try. As I think these types of shoes are closer to Vans than buying hiking boots.

    But do some reading… if you actually are more used to a heel on a shoe you can’t just switch cold turkey.

    Regardless … congrats on your progress and well done!

    • nicgentile@lemmy.worldOP
      12·
      4 days ago

      Thank you. I’m debating. I like the Vans cause I like the feel of the ground, but age is a thing.

      • jagermo@feddit.org
        101·
        4 days ago

        Trust me, check some other shoes as well. Your knees deserve all the support. And you deserve some pampering, just try one a few pairs. Depending on your region, i’d recommend something like Salomon, Hooka, Brooks, On or Dynafit, all of them gave more casual stuff next to the super sporty things. And then get a pair of Vans as well!

      • qupada@fedia.io
        7·
        4 days ago

        I’ve been trying to walk a lot more too, as I’ve found it’s better for my mental as well as physical health.

        Have gravitated toward “trail” shoes, for a nice mix of padding and being able to feel the ground.

        Current pair are these: https://www.newbalance.com/pd/dynasoft-nitrel-v6-gore-tex-/MTNTRGV6-47467.html

        I also hate buying shoes (which is its own whole thing), but have found the people in the sports stores also seem to be monumentally less interested in bugging you compared to a shoe store, so can be left in peace to try some things.

        Best of luck on the hunt!

        (also if I did my maths right, 5 days * 4.5 miles between Jan 2 and today is damn near 1000km / 600mi, so congrats on that!)

      • Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world
        3·
        4 days ago

        If you want to stick with Vans, they make versions of most of their classic shoe styles with a “pop-cush” insole that’s pretty springy and adds a lot of shock absorption. I also really like the less structured feel of the classic Vans, but the difference in how my middle aged joints feel with the extra shock absorption is totally worth not being able to feel quite as much of the ground.

      • PortNull@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        1·
        4 days ago

        I had vans slipons. Love em But my back doesn’t. Walking a lot in them really makes you feel the impacts.

        If you don’t want walking or running shoes, proper skate vans have better cushioning

    • Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafeEnglish
      8·
      4 days ago

      Rwcent research shows more padding is worse as it promotes weakness in all the muscles that should be supporting joints.

      I’ll see of I still have a link to the research, it’s rather surprising.

      • 0ops@piefed.zipEnglish
        6·
        4 days ago

        Ergonomics is complicated, sometimes it can be hard to draw the line between what’s a necessary support and what’s an enabling crutch.

      • CrocodilloBombardino@piefed.socialEnglish
        1·
        4 days ago

        barefoot or minimal shoes require successfully adapting your foot strike, which is not something everyone does successfully or consistently. Even then, most ppl will want more toe box width than Vans provide, unless they have narrow feet.

    • Pencilnoob@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      4 days ago

      It’s entirely possible to walk in a way that’s not striking your heel against the ground, in which case a thin soled shoe is fine. I do all my walking, hiking, and running in very thin soled barefoot shoes and my knees are rarely sore or injured.

      I’ve hiked 1000 miles of the AT over a 4 month window that way, and walk a few miles a day on sidewalks. I’m training for my first half marathon. My partner is an ultra runner who does 50 mile races in thin barefoot shoes.

      You just have to slightly adjust how you step so your toes act more like a shock absorber. You want them to touch the ground about the same time as the heel or slightly before. I’ve heard it described as “fox walking”. It’s a little awkward but it is possible.

      However, my only complaint about vans is just how super heavy they are. That would fatigue me so fast. If you can afford an upgrade or can find some used, I’d check out shoes from Xero. They last a good long time. The real sweetness is how they are super light. If you want a bit more cushion the Altra Lone Peak is also excellent.

      • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
        2·
        4 days ago

        How the hell are your toes doing that? I can land on the ball of my foot and roll back a bit to land on my heels but you’ve completely lost me with the landing on toes and absorbing the shock.

        My understanding is the ball of your foot (the part you would spin on just behind the toes) is well connected to the muscles and can act as a spring and a shock absorber. The toes are there for balancing and spreading the weight around. The ball of the foot is usually the first part of my soles to wear out.

        My advice to OP is to look for a shoe they find comfortable but with a bit more sole than vans so they can take a better beating on walks.

        • Pencilnoob@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          4 days ago

          I’ve done a bad job explaining it, it’s just kind of like running on your toes but with a smidge of heel on the ground

  • LemmyAtEm2@lemmy.world
    6·
    4 days ago

    First of all congrats.

    You should look into getting some custom foot orthotics to even out the pressure on your feet. The wear pattern looks like you have zero arch support.

  • gaiussabinus@lemmy.world
    3·
    4 days ago

    This makes me soooooo mad. These shoes used to be be at Zellers and last for fucking ever. I can wear a set of these down in a couple months just like you have. Used to have two colour choices too, red or blue.