New Research Shows That Walking Faster is Better For Your Health.

If you hate slow walkers, you'll hate Rayman. I walk alot like Keith Richards after a good drunk. Plus I "saunter" a lot. (I love that word..saunter). Yeah, a little stroll, a little shuffle, throw in a saunter and I'm golden.

Ever want to elbow slow walkers as you pass them on your way to work? (Does no one else have anywhere to go?!) You’re not just being impatient—you’re also safeguarding your health by huffing it, new research suggests.

Slow Down Prostate Cancer

 

Men with prostate cancer who walked at a speed of at least 3 miles per hour for a total of 3 hours per week had a 57 percent lower risk of their cancer becoming worse compared to men who walked at a slower pace for less than 3 hours per week. (Researchers accounted for the time difference and still found that walking faster meant better prostate cancer outcomes.) “Walking briskly lowers insulin production, which is known to promote the growth of cancer cells,” says lead study author Erin Richman, Sc.D., postdoctoral fellow at the University of California San Francisco. “Walking or running at higher speeds would have even more benefit.” (Read More: I Want My Prostate Back)

 

Increase Your Lifespan

 

An increased walking speed of just 0.2 miles per hour was associated with a 10 percent increased probability of living for 10 years, finds a recent review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Sure, those who walk faster might be healthier in the first place, but researchers note that improving your walking speed may lengthen your life—regardless of how slow or fast you started. Researchers are currently studying this effect in middle-aged adults, and they suspect a similar association. “Walking speed is a marker of overall health and it should be tested just like blood pressure,” says lead author Stephanie Studenski, M.D., and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. (Read More: The End of Aging)

via Men's Health: Benefits of Walking.