I like to think of myself as a scrambler, always dashing about, never enough time to get to where I need to be and intent on getting my daily fitbit target reached.
And how frustrated am I when I get stuck behind the world’s slowest walker. For me, total purgatory.
But a recent study by the University of Leicester has revealed that self-proclaimed slow walkers – regardless of sex – were around twice as likely to die of a cardio-vascular malfunction than participants who considered themselves “brisk” walkers.
The study tracked 420,727 health adults over a period of six years, looking for possible correlations between self-reported walking pace and a range of fatal conditions.
Despite factoring in a range of external factors, including smoking and hours spent on the sofa watching TV, the link between walking pace and cardiovascular health remained strong.
And whilst this was a very large study, it should be noted that it contained limitations, and that whilst many important heath factors were excluded some remained, which may have a bearing on the findings.
In a week when there has been headlines about how good walking is for you, even just 10 minutes brisk walking a day, combined with the release of a television ad and app encouraging us all to get out and walk, the evidence of the benefits of walking seems overwhelming.
There are countless quotes out there telling us to slow down and enjoy life more, but perhaps by speeding up a bit, lives will be lived longer and indeed, healthier.
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