Here’s The One Thing You Should Do When You Buy Your Next Pair Of Sneakers

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So you’re in the market for a new pair of kicks, but decision fatigue sets in the moment you walk into a shoe store. Holy wall of sneakers, right? There are so many options. Sure, you can narrow down the selection based on your favorite fitness activity, but picking a pair even after that is quite a feat.

So here’s the trick: stop judging them by their neon colors and funky patterns and see how they actually work while you move.

Plenty of specialty sneaker shops offer a complimentary gait analysis to help you find the perfect pair for you — and none of what they consider has to do with aesthetics. The most important feature of a shoe is how it impacts the alignment of your lower body because that’s the primary way you can avoid injuries and remain healthy in whatever sport you choose. So, naturally, the gait experts lean into that information.

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In most gait analyses, an expert will ask you to walk across the room and maybe even jog in bare feet or in a neutral-alignment sneaker to see what your feet and ankles naturally do as you move. From there, they can determine if you overpronate (your foot rolls slightly inward and needs additional stabilization), if you supinate (your foot rolls slightly outward and can benefit from additional cushioning) or if you maintain a neutral alignment on your own. They can also observe your arch height and movement.

That information then helps them select a handful of pairs for you to try on, walk in throughout the store and, at that point, see which style feels most natural and comfortable to you.

Once you establish what kind of shoe your foot needs, you can focus on selecting the shoe you want. Are you into a super lightweight feel, or do you prefer really knowing that your shoe is there to catch your foot with every step? Do you want to feel like you’re walking on clouds or like you have a solid spring in your step? Are you into bright pink or is black the only color in your wardrobe? Do you have $100 to spend or is your budget closer to the $50 mark? You get the idea.

Just make sure you look beyond form first and focus on function. Your feet will thank you — we promise.