Find out your brain’s age: This simple physical activity can reveal a lot about your cognitive health
Scientists say your walking speed can offer surprising insight into how your brain and body are really ageing.
Your walking speed - also known as gait speed - can reveal surprising details about your cognitive health, according to multiple research studies.
You might not think walking faster or slower matters much, but it can be a powerful predictor of cognitive decline, risk of hospitalization or heart attack, and overall lifespan.
The walking speed test is a way of assessing your functional capacity, which is especially relevant once you get past a certain age.
How to measure your walking speed
Try this simple test to assess your own pace.
If you’re outside/space is no issue:
- Measure out 5 meters (16.5 feet) for acceleration, then 10 meters (33 feet) for timed walking.
- Walk the first 5m to get up to speed.
- Time how long it takes to walk the next 10m.
- Divide 10 by the number of seconds to get your speed in meters per second.
If you’re indoors/have limited space:
- Measure 1 meter (3.3 feet) to accelerate, then 4 meters (13 feet) for your timed walk.
- Walk the first meter, then time the next 4.
- Divide 4 by the number of seconds.
What’s a “good” walking speed?
Average walking speed by age
40-49
- Women: 1.39m/s (4.6ft/s)
- Men: 1.43m/s (4.7ft/s)
50-59
- Women: 1.31m/s (4.3ft/s)
- Men: 1.43m/s (4.7ft/s)
60-69
- Women: 1.24m/s (4.1ft/s)
- Men: 1.43m/s (4.7ft/s)
70-79
- Women: 1.13m/s (3.7ft/s)
- Men: 1.26m/s (4.16ft/s)
80-89
- Women: 0.94m/s (3.1ft/s)
- Men: 0.97m/s (3.2ft/s)
What walking speed test results mean
What do the results mean? You might not be surprised to hear there is good news for faster walkers, especially those over the age of 65.
According to nine studies collected by the University of Pittsburgh, men with the slowest walking speeds at age 75 had a 19% chance of living for 10 years, compared to men with the fastest walking speeds, who had an 87% chance of survival.
Additionally, when a person’s gait speed slows considerably over time, it is usually linked to a decline in their health in other areas.
Gait speed also key for younger people
The speed test, though, doesn’t only concern over 65s. A 2019 study conducted by researchers at Duke University in North Carolina focused on 45-year-olds, assessing their health and cognitive function regularly over their entire lives.
The results of the study showed that slower walkers displayed signs of “accelerated ageing,” including raised blood pressure, high cholesterol and poorer cardiorespiratory fitness. They even scored lower in a number of tests related to their mental capacity, such as IQ, memory and reasoning.
So while it might not seem like much, Your walking speed may be one of the simplest indicators of your overall health and how fast you’re really ageing.
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