WALKERS LIVE 16 YEARS LONGER

A new study finds walking could help add 16 years to your life. Researchers at the University of Leicester in the UK have discovered a link between a person’s walking pace and the rate at which they age. A lifetime of brisk walking leads to longer telomeres. These are the protective “caps” on the ends of your chromosomes — sort of like the plastic tabs on your shoelaces. Scientists measure these end caps to calculate a person’s biological age. The longer they are, the younger a person is in terms of biological age — which can be much different from your chronological age. In an analysis of over 400,000 British adults, scientists found that a faster walking pace throughout life could lead to a person being 16 years younger in terms of biological age by the time they reach midlife. Importantly, the team found brisk walking alone, regardless of how much physical activity that person engages in, leads to longer telomeres.
* You’ll live 16 years longer, but you’ll be spending those last 16 years with sore feet and knees.
* I get the walking part, and the living longer part, but what does that have to do your shoelaces again?
* Walkers live longer, but if you drink Johnnie Walker you’ll walk funnier.
* What about Heisman trophy winner Herschel Walker? He’s having trouble running in Georgia.