New Balance presents its line of walking shoes and its line of running shoes as two different animals. In a sense, that is true, but they are definitely members of the same species. You certainly don't want to use walking shoes for running, since walking shoes are heavier and not cushioned well enough in the heel to take the pounding of running. On the other hand, the independent Running Shoe Reviews and Ratings website states that walkers should try running shoes instead of walking shoes. They are lighter and more flexible than they used to be, and if you decide to advance to jogging or running, you are already wearing the right pair of shoes.
Running Shoes
New Balance offers many models of running shoes. Its 2011 signature model is the NB Minimus, which is intended to give you the feeling of running barefoot. The NB Minimus models include a trail shoe and a road shoe. The NB Minimus is used and endorsed by members of Team New Balance, which includes running stars Andy Baddeley and Maggie Vessey.
Walking Shoes
New Balance walking shoes are touted as toning shoes, enabling you to work and tone a number of different muscles, including calf, thigh and glute, and hamstring. Walking shoes are more cushioned in the arch than running shoes, since the rolling motion of your foot when you walk puts more pressure on the arch than a running motion. The 2011 line of NB Minimus walking shoes includes the MW 850 for men and the WW 850 for women. The latter is said to be a toning shoe for women that makes your body work to maintain its natural balance, thereby enabling you to activate lower body muscles while engaging your core as you walk.
Health Benefits
Walking or running in New Balance shoes -- or any other brand -- is great for your health. A walk, jog or run helps lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, helps prevent heart disease, helps prevent diabetes by keeping your weight under control and helps keep your mind sharp and depression at bay. While you might derive more benefits from running, since it is more rigorous than walking, your joints take more of a pounding. As the Mayo Clinic explains, walking is a low-impact exercise that almost anyone can do.
Considerations
Sizes of walking and running shoes can vary by manufacturer and your feet can get bigger as you get older, so try on shoes if at all possible, and make sure you can return them if you buy them online and they don't fit. Try on shoes late in the afternoon, preferably after a workout, when your feet are biggest. There should be no break-in period with New Balance or any other high-quality shoe. Such shoes should be comfortable from the start.
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