Walking Speeds and Your Health

             Recent research has revealed that older people who walk quickly tend to live longer than those who slow down drastically with their age. This data collected does not mean that slow walkers are guaranteed to die at a young age, and it doesn’t mean that intentionally pushing yourself to hustle will extend your lifespan. The pace that you feel comfortable walking at can be a simple sign of your overall health. Walking speeds help to gauge your health because it requires muscular strength, aerobic conditioning, coordination and balance. If you walk slowly, it could reflect damage to any of the body organs or systems. Walking speeds, next to age and gender, is one of the best predictors of whether someone would be alive five or ten years later. These figures are based on people of 65 years or older. Walking speed is as good at predicting lifespan as blood pressure, weight, smoking status and markers of heart disease and diabetes. Researchers found that people 65 or older who normally walk about 2.2 miles per hour, about 0.8 meters per second, tended to live the average amount of time expected. For every 0.1 meters per second faster the moved along, their chances of dying in the next decade dropped by 12 percent. (Boston.com, January 4, 2011), (News.discovery.com, January 4, 2011).

Walking in Circles

    If you ever feel like you are walking in circles, you very well might be! The results of a recent study were published in Current Biology not too long ago. It showed that people tend to walk in circles if they can not see the sun or the moon and there are no familiar landmarks around. Earlier studies have showed that bees, pigeons and a variety of other animals move in tight circles when orienting clues are missing. This new study suggests that people are subconsciously tuned into environmental clues too. In a follow-up experiment, the researchers challenged 15 people to walk straight while blindfolded. When they couldn't see at all, the walkers made extremely small circles with a diameter of less than 66 feet. Even more bizarre is the fact that in repeated attempts, blindfolded walkers sometimes went clockwise, and other times went counterclockwise. This disproved the theory that the circular motion was caused by one leg being stronger.

Your Size and Walking

    If you are short, you may feel more tired after going for a walk compared to your taller friends. The reason is simple, you height correlates to your stride size. For every one step your taller friend takes you have to take one and a half, so you tire more quickly.