There is a long list of benefits people can reap from just a simple walk.
Beyond getting your heart rate up and your metabolism firing, the simple habit of walking has been linked to better cognitive health, a lower risk of heart disease and improved emotional wellbeing.
But perhaps more important than time spent on the pavement, experts say, is walking speed. And depending on your age, there are certain benchmarks you should be able to hit.
Elizabeth Vogstrom, a physician assistant at EVOyouthful in Chicago specializing in longevity-focused care, told the Daily Mail that gait speed is a key indicator of general health as a person ages.
‘When I see patients experiencing declines in energy, mobility, muscle mass, or overall fitness, walking ability and walking tolerance are often among the first functional measures that begin to change,’ Vogstrom told the Daily Mail.
‘A person can have normal laboratory values and still be experiencing declines in strength, endurance, mobility, balance, or cardiovascular fitness,’ she said. ‘Walking speed often reveals those changes before they become obvious in daily life.’
As a general rule, in your 20s and 30s you should be able to walk a mile in 13 to 15 minutes at a brisk pace of about 4.6 mph, Vogstrom said, citing a 2022 report in the Journal of Sports Sciences that indicated benchmark ‘brisk’ walking speeds for different ages.
In your 40s, aim to walk a mile in 14 to 16 minutes at a pace of 4.3 mph. In your 50s, the goal is a mile in 15 to 17 minutes at 4 mph.
A brisk walk can add years to your life. Experts recommend aiming for a 13- to 15-minute mile in your 20s and 30s, and a 20-minute mile by your 70s (picture posed by models)
People in their 60s should walk a mile in 16 to 18 minutes at 3.3 to 3.7mph. And those in their 70s and beyond should aim for a 20-minute mile at 3.5mph.
‘For most healthy adults, a brisk pace that slightly elevates breathing while still allowing conversation is an excellent practical goal, regardless of age,’ Vogstrom said.
A growing body of evidence points to the benefits of a routine power walk, especially as a person gets older and becomes more vulnerable to chronic illnesses.
Vogstrom told the Daily Mail: ‘A pace around 17–18 minutes per mile is a reasonable “normal” walking speed for many middle-aged and older adults.
‘A pace in the 14–16 minute-per-mile range generally reflects a purposeful, brisk walk and often indicates good cardiovascular fitness and functional capacity.
‘A pace above 20 minutes per mile is not necessarily problematic, particularly in older adults, but it may warrant closer attention if it represents a significant decline from an individual’s previous baseline.’
And just as important as walking speed, is the change in ability to maintain a certain speed.
Vogstrom noted that a sudden, unexpected slowing of gait can signal underlying health issues.
‘When someone’s walking pace slows unexpectedly, it may reflect deconditioning, loss of muscle mass, cardiovascular limitations, joint issues, neurological changes, or other health concerns that deserve further attention,’ she said.
The slower you walk at midlife, the faster your body ages. The slowest walkers (under 3mph) showed the fastest rate of biological decline, while the fastest walkers (over 3.6mph) aged most slowly. Walking speed appears to predict how quickly the body is deteriorating on a cellular level
The faster you walk, the lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. The benefit kicked in at about 4km/hour (2.5mph) and continued up to 8 km/hour (5mph). Each 1 km/hour increase in walking speed was linked to a nine per cent lower diabetes risk
Brisk walkers tend to be healthier overall and therefore more likely to live longer.
The ability to maintain a brisk pace of about 4 mph has been linked to a 37 percent lower risk of death from any cause, a 39 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and a 30 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to slow walkers.
A 2022 study of 22,000 people found that for every 1,000 people followed for a year, there were nearly 49 deaths among slow walkers who moved at under 2mph, compared to just 19 among normal-pace walkers and roughly 10 among brisk walkers.
For very brisk walkers walking at 4 mph or faster, fewer than one in 100 people died each year, a significantly lower rate than among slower walkers.
Vogstrom agreed with researchers who have described walking speed as the ‘sixth vital sign.’
‘Traditional vital signs tell us how the body is functioning at a specific moment in time,’ she said. ‘Walking speed provides insight into how well the body functions in everyday life.’
‘That is why walking speed can be such a powerful indicator of overall health, resilience, and functional independence.’
Gait speed also appears to reflect lifelong brain health and biological aging.
A landmark New Zealand study that followed nearly 1,000 people from birth to age 45 found that how someone walks in midlife is linked to how well their body and brain are aging. And the signs start early.
Participants with a slower gait at age 45 were more likely to show signs of accelerated biological aging across multiple organ systems, including weaker grip strength, poorer balance and worse performance on physical function tests.
They also had smaller brain volume, more cortical thinning and other brain changes typically seen in older adults. Even more striking, those with a slower gait looked older to independent assessors.
The study’s most surprising finding was the link to brain health decades earlier. Participants who had lower IQs in midlife and those who showed cognitive decline from childhood to adulthood walked more slowly at age 45.
Vogstrom noted that the connection between walking speed and longevity underscores the importance of staying active at every stage of life.
‘When patients maintain their mobility and walking tolerance, they are not just staying fit; they are preserving their independence and quality of life for years to come,’ she said.