Photo: olesiabilke (Getty Images)
How fast do you walk? If you are one of those people who slowly creep along while taking up the full moving sidewalk at the airport, we have some bad news. You probably aren’t going to live very long. Sadly, being one of those jerks has nothing to do with anything, but your gait actually does.
A study that took over 20 years to complete has determined that the walking speed in older age (65+) can determine how long you have left on this planet. But to be honest, it shouldn’t have taken two decades to figure this out. If you are lucky enough to be over 65 years-old and don’t have back, hip, or knee problems painful enough to slow you down, we can naturally assume you are pretty healthy.
As for the benchmarks you should keep an eye on, they are pretty simple. If you walk 2.2 mph or faster, you are probably going to live longer than average. If you walk 1.3 miles per hour or slower, you are probably not long for this world.
Keep in mind, however, that faster isn’t always better: 4 Ways To Control Your Weight Simply By Eating Slower
With all that in mind, why not get your parents or grandparents out on the track to see what kind of numbers they can do. Regardless of if they are slow walkers or fast, the exercise will be good for them. Plus, it’s probably been too long since they’ve seen you anyways.
