There are three simple tests you can do to assess your fitness and see how long you might live. Test your grip strength, by unscrewing a tight jar lid, test your quad strength by getting out of a chair without using your arms, and, finally, your walking speed, by taking eight steps in six seconds. If you can do all of these, you’re in good nick.
Walking faster is particularly interesting because, on its own, it’s been found to significantly lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This is important because type 2 diabetes is one of the world’s major health threats. Some 537 million people have been diagnosed, but the millions who have not are even more worrying because of complications, such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke and lower limb amputation.
I’m a great believer in walking and in my 60s, I exchanged high heels for trainers so I could walk anywhere, any time. But how fast should we go? Researchers from Imperial College London, the University of Medical Sciences in Iran and Oslo New University College in Norway collaborated to find out. A total of 508,121 adult patients from across the UK, Japan and the US were included.
The good news is we have a worldwide study showing striding out and walking briskly is the prescription for reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes. To get that benefit you need to walk faster than 1.86mph (3km/h). People who walk faster than 3.7mph (6km/h) lower their risk by 39%. But even strolling at less than 3km/h confers a 15% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, irrespective of the time spent walking. A fairly brisk walk of between 5km/h and 6km/h will lower the risk by 24%.
The faster you walk the less risk you have. So walking faster than 6km/h has a 39% lower risk of developing the condition and the more emphasis put on speed, the more you’re likely to be fitter, with greater muscle mass and better overall health. One of the reasons I walk so much is it keeps me functioning. It gives me better cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength and it’s good for weight loss, which helps to improve insulin sensitivity and control appetite.
Neil Gibson, of Diabetes UK, welcomed the study’s findings, saying: “Being physically active, which can include brisk walking, can help lower a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes and increasing the intensity of activity, such as by walking faster, gives greater overall health benefits”. But take care. Everyone should walk at a pace that suits them.