With age, physical condition degrades and the body tires faster. Some people are then affected by what is called “fragility syndrome”. This syndrome is characterized by weight loss, motor slowness, increased weakness, fatigue and a significant reduction in physical activity. One of the privileged treatments is reinstatement, by physical exercise. No need to run, you have to walk faster. This is what Daniel Rubin, of the University of Chicago and his colleagues recommend. They have shown that an acceleration of the walking cadence of around 14 steps per minute allows an improvement in physical condition in fragile people.
Their analysis is based on data collected between November 2017 and April 2022. During this period, 215 individuals over 60 years of age, and in a fragility or prefragility situation, followed a four -month program. The participants were divided into two groups, during 45 -minute walking sessions: the first group had to walk at a comfortable rate; For the second, the researchers asked people to walk as quickly as possible without putting themselves in danger. The volunteer’s walking cadence was measured before the experience using an accelerometer placed on the thigh. The two groups initially did not present any notable difference in their walking pace, between 82 and 86 not per minute.
As soon as the members of the first group are asked to walk comfortably and those of the second to walk faster, a difference appears. Those who walk at their own pace have a rate of 77 steps per minute against around 100 for the others. This corresponds to an increase of 14 steps per minute on average for the second group. Fragile elderly can therefore speed up their pace of walking. It remained to be seen whether it has a positive effect among the participants.
To measure the capacities of the participants, the researchers invited them to perform a 6 -minute walking test. The distance traveled during this duration provides a characterization of the physical form. Before the four months of physical activity, the results were similar for the two groups, with an average distance traveled by around 250 meters. Once the four -month cycle has been completed, the participants passed the test again. This time, the subjects that followed intensive training had a better result. They traveled 315 meters on average against 265 for the other group. In intense walkers, 65 % saw their results in the walking test increase by 30 %, the threshold set by researchers to consider an improvement in physical capacities. It remains to be determined in future studies if this improvement appears beyond the threshold of 100 steps per minute or if a relative increase in the individual rate may be enough.
To speed up your pace, the researchers suggest the use of an application that uses the accelerometers of a phone, placed in the pocket. The application will measure your power speed and allow you to adapt it to reach the desired pace. It is also possible to use a metronome or music with a suitable tempo. For a pace of about 100 steps per minute, you can listen Stayin’Alive, Bee Gees, also known to give the pace of heart massage.