Walking well: gait, confidence and getting out

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Know that walking speed matters, not just distance

   How fast you walk is one of the better predictors of health and independence in later life, which sounds odd until you realise it summarises strength, balance, heart, lungs and confidence in one measure. Slowing down is worth noticing rather than accepting.

   Learn more: Muscle strength and ageing
2. 2

   Step 2: Build the strength that walking rests on

   Walking alone does not build much strength, which is why people who walk daily can still struggle out of a chair. Sit-to-stands, heel raises and stepping practice are what make walking easier, and they are best done seated or supported.

   Learn more: Chair dance fitness: what it actually does for you
3. 3

   Step 3: Sort the feet and the shoes

   A firm non-slip sole, a back that holds the heel, and a fastening you can manage. Indoors as well as out, because slippers cause a great many falls. Painful feet change how you walk and the change travels up to the knees, hips and back, so foot pain is worth treating.

   Learn more: Footwear & mobility
4. 4

   Step 4: Use a stick properly if you need one, without shame

   A stick that keeps you walking is worth more than pride that keeps you indoors. It must be the right height, wrist crease at the handle when your arm hangs, and held on the opposite side to the sore leg. Wrongly used, it makes things worse, so ask to be shown.

   Learn more: Fall prevention
5. 5

   Step 5: Keep going out, and go with somebody

   Confidence fades fastest when walking becomes something you only do indoors. A regular walk with company happens far more reliably than one you intend to do alone, and it does something for your mood that the same steps on your own do not.

   Learn more: Meaning and belonging in healthy ageing

All topics in this guide

• Muscle strength and ageing
• Chair dance fitness: what it actually does for you
• Footwear & mobility
• Fall prevention
• Meaning and belonging in healthy ageing

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