It only takes about five seconds to realize just how well you’re aging.
Stand up, stretch your body, and get ready to walk for a full minute.
The 6-metre walk test has become an important vital sign for healthcare professionals. Longevity Clinic It is used around the world to track the health and lifespan of patients.
Dr. Sarah Bonds, medical director of the Health and Longevity Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, said her team administers the 20-foot walk test to all patients who come through the clinic “as an indicator of functional performance.”
“This test tells us how well people are functioning, how well their muscles are moving and coordinating,” Bonne told Business Insider. “You can do more complicated tests to measure people’s fitness levels, but this is something smaller and simpler that still tells us if they’re moving and getting around well for their age.”
Your doctor may also perform a longer version of the same test. There is a 6-minute walk test that many clinicians perform, but this requires a significant distance.
“You want a relatively flat, open, straight space so people aren’t spinning around, getting dizzy or tripping over obstacles,” Bonne said.
Fortunately, researchers Found Both the 6 Meter Walk Test results and the 6 Minute Walk Test results appear to be fairly reliable indicators of a person’s functional fitness.
Here’s how the 6 Meter Walk Test works:
6 meters is almost 20 feet. Sarah Andersen / Business Insider
- Measure 6 metres of straight, flat ground.
At Bonne’s clinic, they use hallways and orange cones to mark the beginning and end of the passageway. But if you’re measuring at home, 6 meters is about 19.68 feet. You can use a tape measure or the measuring tool on your phone.
- Warm up about 2 metres before the starting line to get up to speed.
This test is intended to measure your fastest walking speed, so start a little early.
- Use a stopwatch or timer to time yourself as you walk 20 feet.
Only the test time should be timed, not the warm-up.
Record the time for future reference.
I tried it
It’s time to go! Dr. Bones times me on his cell phone. Sarah Andersen / Business Insider
I tried to test it with Bonne as the timekeeper.
She told me that I completed the test in 1.91 seconds, so I walk 3.14 meters per second. Faster than average In my age group, I am noticeably healthier than most of her patients who are in their 60s, 70s and 80s.
Still, she said there are things you can do to protect your body from unnecessary damage.
“Sedentary jobs, arthritis, all of these things can affect how we move and function,” Bonne said.
Increasing your walking speed may help offset these effects. Brisk walking It may help better maintain the protective caps at the ends of DNA chromosomes, called telomeres, and prevent old The 10,000 steps a day rule It’s just a marketing gimmick, The more you walk the better your healthTo a certain extent.
The six-metre walk test “is really effective for older patients,” Bonne said, but if they score low for their age, “the advice is to exercise and build muscle mass.”
