20 October 2023 , 10:00
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Scientists have claimed that walking slowly could mean you're more at risk of an early death.
British researchers found that people who strolled at a slower pace were more likely to die from a heart attack, cancer or other causes within a decade. As such, they suggested that walking faster when you're out and about could actually help increase your lifespan.
Dr Jonathan Goldney, from the University of Leicester, said: "We encourage walkers to pick up their pace where possible, as this may just improve their life expectancy. Doctors should also consider asking their patients how quickly they walk, as it turns out that this can tell them a lot about their risk of death, which may guide the use of strategies to prevent early death and disease."
Research in the past has shown that the more you walk, the lower your risk of death - even if you stroll fewer than 5,000 steps a day. The latest study, published in the Elsevier journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, crunched data from 391,652 Brits aged 38 to 73. They were asked how quickly they walk - from slow to brisk - and tracked them for an average dozen years to see how it impacted their risk of dying. Some 22,413 people died over the course of the study period.
Quicker walkers were less likely to die from any causes, with the biggest improvements seen in heart disease and 'other' cause risks. Dr Goldney stated: "As far as we're aware, the comparison between the risk of death from cancer, CVD and other causes by different levels of walking pace has never been compared before. While we observed reductions in all three causes of death in brisk or average walkers, the largest reduction was detected in older male participants who passed from other causes of death."
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Why walking is good for your health
The NHS is a keen advocate of walking, saying it is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier. While often overlooked as a form of exercise, walking briskly can help you build stamina, burn excess calories and make your heart healthier.
The health body says you don't have to walk for hours, with just a brisk ten-minute daily stroll having lots of health benefits and counting towards your 150 minutes of weekly exercise, as recommended in the physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. A 'brisk walk' is around 3 miles an hour, which is faster than a stroll. You can tell you're walking briskly if you can still talk but cannot sing the words to a song.
The NHS recommends trying to make walking a habit and to think of ways to include it in your daily routine.
Examples include:
- Walking part of your journey to work
- Walking to the shops
- Using the stairs instead of the lift
- Leaving the car behind for short journeys
- Walking the kids to school
- Doing a regular walk with a friend
- Going for a stroll with family or friends after dinner
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