There are two types of people in this world — fast walkers and slow walkers. And they are practically mortal enemies. The most frustrating thing for a fast walker is to be stuck behind someone taking their sweet, sweet time. Maybe they're busy texting on their phone or they just have no sense of urgency. Either way, they're taking too darn long.
Well, fast walkers unite! Science has shown that you're in the right, and slow walkers are in the wrong—at least when it comes to your health. Now, you have a reason to speed on by them.
Fast Walkers Live Longer, And That's A Fact
Yes, you read that right. Fast walkers have been proven to live fifteen years longer than slow walkers. Fifteen years! The study was conducted by a team at Leicester University in the United Kingdom.
The team analyzed data from 474,919 people within the United Kingdom. The age range varied and has an average age of 52. The numbers were gathered over a ten year period from 2006 to 2016, which means this data set is rock solid.
Both Fast Walking Women And Men Live Longer
That life expectancy number is even greater for men than women. The Leicester team saw that women who walked fast had an average life expectancy of 86.7 years. That was compared to the slow walking women who had a life expectancy of 72.4 years.
But for brisk-walking men, the studies showed an average life expectancy of 85.2 years compared to their slower counterparts average of 64.7 years. Put the two together, and both women and men live longer when they're speedwalking through the supermarket.
It Has Nothing To Do With Weight, FYI
A slow-walkers first thought when they see this data might be: "Well, people who walk fast probably lose more weight and are generally healthier." But the Leicester study showed that the numbers were the same regardless of weight. Whether you were classified as underweight or morbidly obese, those that kept up their fast pace as a daily habit lived longer.
This led researchers to conclude that physical fitness might be a better indicator of life expectancy than body mass index (BMI).
There Are Other Health Benefits To Walking Fast
This isn't the first study to link fast walking with better overall health, but it is the first one to prove that body weight doesn't matter. A brisk walking pace has been shown to significantly decrease the risk of heart disease.
Studies have even put speeds to the test. Brisk walkers are categorized at people who can hit speeds of three miles per hour, while slow walkers usually land between one to two miles per hour.
Fast Walkers Can Zoom Away With Their Heads Held High
So what does this all mean for fast walkers? It means next time you have to speed by someone walking way too slow at the shopping mall, at the airport, or just on the street, then you don't have to be bothered by the dirty look they give you.
In fact, you can keep your head held high knowing that you'll be speed-walking on a beach one day while they're slow-walking to their grave. If you're walking slow, you've gotta go.
