Good news fast walkers!
There are two types of walkers in this world – those who are happy to dawdle to their destination at snail pace...
And those who have things to do, places to be and absolutely no patience to be ducking and diving around the aforementioned slow pokes.
Ask any fast walker and they'll you, it's a frustrating life...
But, finally those fast walker frustrations has been validated! After an in depth study found that those who keep a quick pace on the footpath, actually live longer.
The study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine analysed data from over 50,000 UK adults who self-reported their average, perceived walking speed as well as other health factors.
They tracked the subjects for around nine-years and found that self professed fast and average speed walkers had approximately 20 per cent lower mortality risk than slow walkers.
Although the study did not prove cause and effect, the researchers suggest that having need for speed strengthens the heart better than stepping slowly.
But they highlight that walking at a faster pace could also indicate the health, fitness and physical function of a person, predicting a lower mortality risk rather than being a causal factor.
Author of the study, Emmanuel Stamataki said, “the main takeaway message is that stepping up the pace may be a good hack to make walking more health-enhancing.”
There you go! Want to live a longer, healthier life? Then pick up the pace!
Or at least get out the way of the people who are in a hurry...
