This everyday activity can reveal your brain’s age – how do you compare?

We all want to be healthy, and there are signs which can reveal how healthy our bodies are – without needing to go for extensive medical tests. And one of these signs is how fast we walk, which can predict our rate of cognitive ageing, as well as the risk of a heart attack, being hospitalised and even dying (Picture: Getty)

What does the test reveal?

Known as the walking speed test, it is a way of assessing functional capacity, aka the ability someone has to perform daily tasks around the house and maintain independence. It is also a good indicator on how someone could respond to rehabilitation after a stroke, for example (Picture: Getty)

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Christina Dieli-Conwright, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School said: ‘When a person's normal walking pace declines, it is often associated with underlying health declines. It might be that the person has a chronic condition which has meant that they haven't been moving as much or have become sedentary. That means that, more than likely, they've experienced a decrease in muscle strength, and joint mobility, which unfortunately leads to further health declines’ (Picture: Getty)

How can you conduct the test?

You can conduct the test by yourself. All you need is a stopwatch, and a way of measuring distance – such as a tape measure. One version of the test sees you outside, where you should measure out 5m (16.5ft), then 10m (33ft). The idea is to walk for 5m to get you to your normal walking pace, and then walk the 10m to measure your natural speed. Then, divide 10m by the number of seconds it took you to walk it to get your walking speed. If you’re at home, you can try his by measuring out 1m (3.3ft) them walk 4m (13.2ft) (Picture: Getty)

Research has revealed that walking speed is a great predictor for life expectancy in older adults. One study, conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, analysed nine studies, which looked at more than 34,000 adults aged 65 years or older aged between six and 21 years. They found that gait speed was significantly associated with lifespan – and found men with the slowest walking speeds at age 75 had a 19% chance of living for 10 years, compared to men with the fastest walking speeds who had an 87% chance of survival (Picture: Getty)

Although it may be easier to discuss these concerns, as people who are unwell tend to walk slower anyway, one research done in France revealed that even amongst healthy adults aged over 65, those with low walking speed were around three times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease during the study period compared with people who walked faster (Picture: Getty)

So, how do you compare?

There is no wrong or right here,just a measurement of how fast you walk. The average walking speed of a person in feet per second, according to their age is: 
Ages 20–29: Men – 4.46 ft/s | Women – 4.4 ft/s
Ages 30–39: Men – 4.69 ft/s | Women – 4.4 ft/s
Ages 40–49: Men – 4.7 ft/s | Women – 4.6 ft/s
Ages 50–59: Men – 4.7 ft/s | Women – 4.3 ft/s
Ages 60-29: Men — 4.7 ft/s | Women — 4.1 ft/s
Ages 70–79: Men – 4.16 ft/s | Women – 3.7 ft/s
Ages 80–89: Men – 3.2 ft/s | Women – 3.1 ft/s (Picture: Getty)