Walking fast has been described as one of the easiest and most comfortable form of exercise. But getting the top mark in walking is about how fast your feet can fly.
Prance walking (walking fast), according to the analysis of nine standard studies on walking, is a good measurement of longevity.
Some 36,000 people who are over 65 years old were subjects in the research sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh.
The outcome of the study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, shows that people who walked at least three feet per second had a higher longevity marker than those who walked two feet or less in a second. Those who walked slower than two feet per second had an increased risk of dying.
The journal’s report also shows that adults between ages 70 to 79 who could not walk a quarter mile were less likely to be alive six years later. They were also said to be more prone to illness and disability before death. In a similar vein, an earlier study of men between the ages of 71 and 93 showed that those who could walk two miles a day had half the risk of heart attack than those who could walk only a quarter mile or less.