Adherence
Gait speed is a critical predictor of survival, disability, and mobility loss in older adults, with a speed of approximately 0.8 m/s indicating median life expectancy.
Monitor your walking speed. If you walk slower than 0.8 meters per second (roughly 1.8 mph), you are at higher risk for early mortality and disability. Use this as a signal to engage in regular physical activity, particularly strength and balance training, to preserve your mobility and longevity.
They reported that survival increases across the full range of gait speeds, with a gait speed of around 0.8 m/s at the median life expectancy at most ages for both sexes.
Why this rating
Based on a large meta-analysis of 34,485 community-dwelling older adults from nine cohort studies.
Source
<p>Preserving Mobility in Older Adults with Physical Frailty and Sarcopenia: Opportunities, Challenges, and Recommendations for Physical Activity Interventions</p>
Maxime Billot et al. · Clinical Interventions in Aging · 2020
DOI 10.2147/cia.s253535
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →