Get Up to Speed: Why Does it Matter How Fast or Slow I Walk?

If you are 65 or older, your walking speed actually gives a significant amount of information about how healthy you are, how functional you are, and even your risk of cognitive decline - to the point that it has been designated “the 6th vital sign.” 

Vital signs are quick tests that give important insights into how your body is functioning. Most of them, or perhaps all of them, are familiar to you: heart rate (how many times your heart is beating each minute), respiratory rate (how many breaths you’re taking each minute), blood pressure, body temperature, and oxygen saturation (how much oxygen your blood is carrying). Each of these 5 vital signs needs to be within a normal range in order for you to be alive and well. 

Walking speed has been deemed “the 6th vital sign” and “the functional vital sign.” In other words, if the first 5 vital signs are in check, your walking speed is the next-most important factor to consider when it comes to your health statistics.

Most people probably don’t think of their walking speed as an important indicator of overall health, but as physical therapists, we certainly do! Walking speed has been well researched to indicate your level of function, as well as your general health status. It is also proven to be a strong predictor of falls, hospitalization, cognitive decline, and even all-cause mortality [1]. “All-cause mortality” is your risk of death, regardless of the cause. Meaning, the slower your walking speed, the higher your risk of dying in general, for any reason (not specific to a fall or other walking-related injury). 

The research is clear: the slower you walk, the worse off your health. And, the more quickly you walk, the better your overall health. Check out this infographic, where specific walking speeds are indicative of specific outcomes, both good and bad.  

[picture from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4254896/]

To summarize this infographic, a slower walking speed is linked to all of the following: a higher risk for falls, more likely to need assistance from someone else to walk and get around, more likely to be hospitalized, more likely to die within 2 years, and higher risk for cognitive decline within 5 years. 

On the other hand, a faster walking speed is linked to all of the following: increased independence in self-care and ability to walk without help, ability to walk safely in the community and cross streets safely, less likely to be hospitalized, and less likely to fall. 

As you can see, walking speed is specifically measured in meters/second, and varying degrees of speed indicate level of function and risk. In order to see where you fit along the scale, you’ll need to perform a quick test by timing yourself, and then calculate your speed. 

Equipment: The equipment you will need in order to test yourself is fairly simple: a stopwatch (many phones have these now), some painter’s tape, a measuring tape, and any device that you would normally use to walk with.

Setup: Next, you will use your measuring tape to measure a distance of about 5-10 meters in your home, ideally in a straight path, such as a longer hallway or a larger room. 5-10 meters equates to about 16-30 feet. You will also want a few feet of space on both ends of your path, so you can get up to your normal pace and also have room to slow down at the end. Blue painter’s tape is nice to use to mark the ground, so that way you know exactly when to start and stop your timer. If you don’t have painter’s tape, you could use the distance between 2 door frames along your hallway to denote when you will start and stop your stopwatch.

Example of the setup to test your walking speed:  

Here is a visual example of your setup, with the red dots representing the extra space both before and after the timed distance, so you have some time to start and stop. The blue lines are where you would put the painter’s tape on the floor, and you would measure the exact distance between these two lines. 

Time yourself: To perform the test, start walking a few feet before the first painters tape mark. Your goal is to feel like you are walking at your “normal” or “usual” speed by the time you reach that first tape mark on the ground. As you pass the first tape mark, start the stopwatch. When you reach the second tape mark, stop the stopwatch. (If you have someone to do the stopwatch part for you, this is usually easier, but it can be done solo.) 

Calculate your speed: Now for the math (just a little, I promise!). Grab a calculator to figure out your speed. Speed is distance divided by time, and walking speed is measured in meters per second. So, if you measured your distance between the two pieces of tape in inches or feet, you’ll need to convert that distance into meters first. Then, divide that number by the number of seconds on your stopwatch. The resulting number on your calculator is your walking speed, in meters per second. You can compare your speed to the graph above and see where you land. 

Now for the million-dollar question: What can I do to improve my walking speed? 

Whether your walking speed is on the low end, or you just want to ensure it stays up at a good pace, the great news is that there is plenty you can do to improve and maintain your walking speed. How fast you walk is affected by a myriad of different body systems and factors, including your lower body strength, your proprioception (balance), your cardiovascular fitness, and your vision. If your walking speed is slower than it should be, a great place to start is with some lower body strengthening and balance work. You can try my top 3 exercises to build your balance for free by clicking HERE, or you can join my 6 Weeks to Steady Challenge if you want more accountability and a more specific plan for your exercises - join for free by clicking HERE.  

I love recommending this quick and simple walking speed test as a monthly check-in so you can track not only where you are today, but also notice any changes. If you are seeing progress and improvement, month-to-month, that’s great motivation to keep up the good work, and stay on track with what you’re already doing! And if you start to see gradual decline, or a big change from the month before, that can be your cue to start some strength and balance work so you can get yourself back up to speed! (pun intended!) 

For a lot of people, having a cut-and-dry, simple test like this with well-researched implications can be really helpful if they haven’t been keen on addressing their strength, balance, and mobility. Seeing the numbers can be the kick a lot of us need to take the first step in improving our health. Does this remind you of anyone? If so, ask them if you can test their walking speed the next time you see them! Or you can send them this post so they can test themselves. The sooner you start, the easier it is to get back up to speed, and get back to doing the things you love to do!

Reference:

1. Middleton A, Fritz SL, Lusardi M. Walking speed: the functional vital sign. J Aging Phys Act. 2015 Apr;23(2):314-22. doi: 10.1123/japa.2013-0236. Epub 2014 May 2. PMID: 24812254; PMCID: PMC4254896.