Faster walkers live longer than slower walkers

[steven johnson]

I guess "slow walkin', slow talkin' Joe" isn't going to live as long.

Text

1:29 PM, July 22, 2009

Walking is a terrific and convenient form of exercise, especially as people get older. But is a leisurely stroll as good as a fast clip?

A recent study measuring walking speed and longevity says maybe not, at least when it comes to life expectancy. In research presented at the IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics earlier this month in Paris, researchers analyzed nine previous studies that included 34,000 men and women whose average age was almost 74. The long-term studies tracked participants for 10 to more than 20 years.

Overall, faster walkers lived longer than slower walkers, with those walking at a gait speed of 1.4 meters per second or faster more than twice as likely to be alive after 10 years than those who walked at 0.4 meters per second or slower. The survival gap between faster and slower walkers widened even more after 15 years.

Gait speed was a good predictor of survival across all groups, regardless of gender, ethnicity and health condition. " may be useful clinically for estimating general life expectancy," wrote the authors in the study.

Hurry up, you might live longer

[Xipe Totec]

1. That explains a lot...

[Ian David]

2. What about Stair Gazelles?

People who walk slowly, until they come to a staircase, and then run up or down them?

[elocs]

3. I walk leisurely for the enjoyment of the walk and I always will.

Life is about the journey, and not the speed in getting there. Fuck the study.

[mainer]

4. I've noticed that slow walkers also tend to be fatter

So which comes first, the obesity or the slow walking? Do obese people just walk more slowly? Or do fast walkers burn off more calories?

[eilen]

9. When people are obese

it is harder to walk faster. First, they have pain in their feet, legs, or hip -- often sciatica or chafing on their thighs and upper arms, second, the lung capacity is impeded by increased abdominal fat. Also, when they walk, they expend a greater effort than a thin person, thus more calories are burned. Often they are very self conscious about their body fat moving as they pick up speed. When I see an obese person exercising I am thinking "you rock! because it takes effort and a certain amount of courage to put yourself out there in public where it is not unusual to have perfect strangers calling you names out loud because of your bmi.

[juno jones]

11. And many times people are overweight from injury or factors out of their control.

I gained a lot of weight after blowing out my knees and involvement in a car accident. I used to walk (fast!) everywhere, hike, and dance all nite. Then in my thirties, my knees went out and life happened. It became a vicious circle, I needed to excercise but couldn't effectively because of my knees and other problems. Then, the heavier you get, the more issues you have, rinse, repeat.

I've recovered somewhat, albeit into a middle-aged world where the body doen't respond as quickly or as well. I find that I am less judgmental about these things. It happens to many of us sooner or later.

Think of the people who refuse to raise taxes because they might win the lottery. Think of the people who are sure they will win the health gamble and thus castigate people whom they don't even know for the sins of obesity and decline. Same psychology. They've already sided with the 'winners'. The rest of us are 'lazy' or 'unmotivated'.

[BlooInBloo]

5. Why do girls walk so slow generally?

O/T, but was just curious. It isn't just height difference - I see short boys consistently walking faster than girls too.

[mainer]

6. Not so in NYC!

And I walk a LOT faster than my husband. He's always complaining "what's the rush," but I can't help it.

[BlooInBloo]

7. Heh.

[lurky]

8. "Average age was almost 74"

If someone who is 74 walks more slowly, I think chances are pretty good they have a medical condition which causes them to walk slowly (heart disease, emphysema, etc.)

Faster walker = healthier person. Healthier person = longer lifespan. I'd like to see the study done on a bunch of 30-year-olds before I start making inferences about walking fast causing longer lifespans.

[Glory89fan]

10. Common sense really

The more active you are, the healthier you are.