the faster you walk, the more steps you get...

Turns out that humans' individual walking speed is an accurate indicator of our individual longevity, especially if that speed is measured when our bodies are 75 years of age or greater. This shouldn't come as a huge surprise, since the vitality of an organism can be generally perceived by noting it's speed, endurance, strength, skill, and flexibility. Still, it is comforting to get large scale scientific backing for a concept that could help us get our communal health back in whack.

The study in question was a 'retrospective' study, using data already accumulated via some 35,000 participants covering nine previous geriatric studies. Each of these previous studies included walking speed in their data collection, and so the correlation between longevity and walking speed was made 'in retrospect'.

Strangely, the researchers from the University of Pittsburgh refused to say that consciously walking faster would have any benefit regarding longevity. They did not seem to understand that we can alter one's fitness level at any time of life, and that we needn't simply observe our body functions slowing down without recourse to (self-) treatment.

As a naturopathic doctor, I say ignore the researchers' obtuseness, and move your body more! Stretch and do Yoga; play sports; skip; wrestle; run; jog; and yes, walk faster! You'll enjoy each day more, and, apparently, have, on average, quite a few more days to enjoy in this particular body of yours.

From news.discovery.com:

In fact, the researchers report today in the Journal of the American Medical Association that walking speed was as good at predicting lifespan -- if not better -- as were more complicated measurements, such as blood pressure, weight, smoking status and markers of heart disease and diabetes.

Based on the data, the researchers created a chart, much like a growth curve, which estimated life expectancy based on a person's age, gender and walking speed.

They found that people who normally ambled at about 2.2 miles per hour (extrapolated from a measured speed of 0.8 meters per second) tended to live the average amount of time expected for someone their age. For every 0.1 meters per second faster they chugged along, their chances of dying in the next decade dropped by 12 percent.

WALK FAST, LIKE CHEETAH