Study: Fast Walkers May Live 15–20 Years Longer — Researchers say quicker than average walking is a good cardiovascular workout and may also be an indicator of a person’s overall health.
Brisk walking could increase your odds of living longer, and it doesn’t matter how much you weigh when you slip on your walking shoes, a recent study suggests. Walking quickly is considered to be at least 100 steps a minute.
Study participants with brisk walking paces had longer life expectancies across all categories of BMI, according to the study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. As published in Healthline: “The survival is the same for fast walkers for a wide range of body mass index, from 20 to 40,” said Dr. Francesco Zaccardi, a clinical epidemiologist at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom and the study’s lead researcher.
“This result indicates that physical function is a stronger determinant of longevity than body mass index, and also people with high body mass index but with a good fitness may survive longer,” he said. Conversely, participants with slower walking paces had shorter life expectancies across all categories of BMI.
Researchers reported that women who walked more quickly had a life span of about 87 years compared to 72 years for women who walked slowly. Men who walked quickly had a life span of about 86 years compared to 65 years for men who walked more slowly.
Bali has it all: Weightlifting, cross-training, yoga, pilates, surfing, diving and more however, there’s another, far simpler, form of work-out that brings substantial rewards of its own. It costs nothing, strengthens your heart, boosts your mood and helps you lose weight. You could even say we were born for it.
The Bali beach esplanades are open to everyone regardless of age or fitness levels. Or, you’ll also find plenty of hiking, rambling, trekking or just plain old strolling, the key fact remains the same: regular brisk walks are good for you.
With the rise in popularity of wearable fitness tracking devices it has become common to see 10,000 steps a day as an approximate goal to be aimed for. Covering this distance would certainly be a positive thing, although the figure itself has been described as rather an arbitrary one.
The “Lower” Benefits of Walking
- Lower body mass index (BMI). Those who take 15,000 or more steps per day tended to have BMIs in the normal, healthy range.
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol. The National Walkers’ Health study found that regular walking was linked to a seven percent reduced risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Lower fasting blood sugar (glucose). Higher blood glucose levels are a risk factor for diabetes, and the National Walkers’ Health Study also found that walkers had a 12 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Lower stress and improved mood. Like other types of aerobic exercise, walking — especially out in nature of this beautiful island — stimulates the production of neurotransmitters in the brain (such as endorphins) that help improve your mental state.
