In spite of my best intentions, I’ve been a bit rubbish at doing my 10k steps over the last few months. All that rain stopped play, and when I was out walking my dog, Grenson, a couple of times a day, albeit briefly, it was necessary to wear my trusty Blundstone boots (or more often, my very old full-length wellies) to negotiate my local footpath, which rebranded itself as a river for the months of February and March.
But now the weather has started to brighten up and the footpaths are drying out, I’m delighted to welcome my comfy summer shoes out of storage. I write about fashion, and I’ve even written a couple of books about flat shoes, so I like to think I know my onions (know my bunions?) when it comes to footwear. I also don’t want sweaty trainer feet, nor do I favour ankle-sock tan lines, because we all know that a good non-slip-underfoot trainer sock is hard to find.
And that gave me an idea: I thought it was about time I tested out my best summer shoes for walking 10,000 steps in by actually walking 10,000 steps in each pair. (I know, groundbreaking.) I have a fair idea which shoes in my wardrobe are the best for walking long distances while still keeping my style mojo intact – and I also know which pairs I wouldn’t dream of walking in for hours – but I’ve never done a proper, scientific experiment before. This counts as science, right?
Here are my findings from walking (at least) 10k steps in five different pairs of my own shoes for five consecutive days, and where you can buy similar styles this season to get moving in comfort and style. And yes, I really did wear all of these pairs the full distance. I’ve added the step counts for proof.