Good for the elderly
Walking speed is an important health indicator in older adults. Critical thresholds for community-dwelling populations range from 0.6 to 0.7 m/s. Older adults who are acutely ill and hospitalized walk much slower than these previously published standards.
Generally, older adults in good physical shape walk somewhere between 2,000 and 9,000 steps daily. This translates into walking distances of 1 and 4-1/2 miles respectively. Increasing the walking distance by roughly a mile will produce health benefits.
Seniors age 65 and older should get at least 2.5 hours of moderate aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking) every week. That averages out to about 30 minutes on most days of the week. Or you should get 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous exercise (such as jogging) each week.
A walking speed of 3 to 4 miles per hour is typical for most people. However, this can vary based on many factors including your fitness level, overall health, and age.
Numerous studies have linked walking to improved cardiovascular health. A 30-minute walk each day can improve circulation and lower blood sugar levels, leading to lower risks of diabetes, strokes and cardiac arrest.
In addition to burning calories and helping you achieve your weight loss goals, walking five miles a day offers many benefits. Walking, especially at a faster pace, has a good cardiovascular benefit and improves your heart health and decreases your risk for a cardiovascular event, advises Harvard Health Publishing.
Some fitness gurus recommend working out first thing in the morning because that’s when you’re least likely to have scheduling conflicts and therefore more likely to exercise regularly. Plus, early exercisers often say that a morning routine leaves them feeling more energized and productive during the day.
Walking is a form of low impact, moderate intensity exercise that has a range of health benefits and few risks. As a result, the CDC recommend that most adults aim for 10,000 steps per day. For most people, this is the equivalent of about 8 kilometers, or 5 miles.
An average person has a stride length of approximately 2.1 to 2.5 feet. That means that it takes over 2,000 steps to walk one mile and 10,000 steps would be almost 5 miles.
Researchers found that obese people who walk at a slower pace burn more calories than when they walk at their normal pace. In addition, walking at a slower, 2-mile-per-hour pace reduces the stress on their knee joints by up to 25% compared with walking at a brisk 3-mile-per-hour pace.
It takes around 15 to 22 minutes to walk a mile. If you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, lose weight, and live longer, walking is a great exercise whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned speed walker.
Walking at least 3 miles an hour counts as moderate exercise. You’ll need 2.5 hours of this level every week, so many experts recommend 30 minutes a day, five days a week. You can use our handy exercise log sheet to track your time over a week.
For both men and women, overexercise raises the risk of overuse injuries, like tendinitis and stress fractures. These injuries result from repetitive trauma. Your immune system can likewise suffer. While moderate exercise can improve your immune system, excessive exercise can actually suppress it.
Most of us walk briskly at about 3.5 miles per hour which takes about 17 minutes per mile or about 85 minutes for 5 miles. The faster your pace (MPH), the faster you can walk the 5 miles. If you walk at a pace of 4 MPH, then you will take 15 minutes to walk one mile or 1 1/4 hours to walk 5 miles.