If you have ever been stuck behind someone who walks at a glacial pace — we have big news for you.
It has recently been found that fast walkers live up to 15 years longer than people who amble.
Which means you are totally justified complaining about them.
The research – which was conducted by a team at Leicester University – analyzed data from 474,919 people with an average age of 52 in the UK between the years of 2006 to 2016.
The team discovered that regardless of weight – those with a habitually fast walking pace have a long life expectancy.
This includes being underweight to morbidly obese.
Women who walked briskly had a life expectancy of 86.7 to 87.8 years old while women who walked at a slower pace had a life expectancy of 72.4.
And when it comes to the men – their life expectancy drown from 85.2 to 86.8 at a fast pace to only 64.8 for slow walkers.
This is the first time ever that research has drawn a correlation to fast walking pace with a longer life expectancy, regardless of a person’s body weight or obesity status.
Lead author of the study from the University of Leicester, Professor Tom Yates, said in a statement:
“Our findings could help clarify the relative importance of physical fitness compared to body weight on life expectancy of individuals.”
“In other words, the findings suggest that perhaps physical fitness is a better indicator of life expectancy than body mass index (BMI), and that encouraging the population to engage in brisk walking may add years to their lives.”
The research gleaned data from the UK Biobank and was then analyzed by the National Institute for Health Research, Leicester Hospitals and the Universities of Leicester and Loughborough.
A clinical epidemiologist at the Leicester Diabetes Center and co-author of the study said:
“Studies published so far have mainly shown the impact of body weight and physical fitness on mortality in terms of relative risk … however, it is not always easy to interpret a ‘relative risk’. Reporting in terms of life expectancy, conversely, is easier to interpret and gives a better idea of the separate and joint importance of body mass index and physical fitness.”
Another study, published in the journal Circulation last year, argued that adhering to these habits below could extend your lifespan by almost a decade.
It goes without saying but eating healthy is a major plus to living a longer life.
And even if your diet isn’t perfect, research suggests that making small and smart changes can add up to massive benefits.
According to one paper published in 2017 concluded that people who consumed 20% more healthy foods that they had at the beginning of the study over the course of 12 years – decreased their risk of early death by up to 17%.
The next major plus to increasing your lifespan? Exercising.
Even short bouts of light physical actively like walking and cleaning increased the lifespans of older men and women in studies from 2018 and 2017.
And in a study published in January, it was found that just moving instead of sitting for 30 minutes each day could reduce early death risk by 17%.
So what are you waiting for? Go on a walk or swiffer those kitchen floors! Your future self will thank you.
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