Walking slower? Your ears, not your knees, might be the problem

mmarc__1 1 day ago 33 commentsRead Article on wsj.com

https://archive.ph/m4P4K

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Discussion (33 Comments)Read Original on HackerNews

pnut•about 2 hours ago

I walk slower and talk slower than I used to, and do both way slower than people I interact with.

I can appreciate things better by moving slowly, with more intention, conserving my concentration and energy for matters of substance.

Why must moving slowly be stigmatised?

I am surrounded by people talking at such a high rate, they start responding before the other person's sentence or thought is completely expressed.

My value at work has become disentangling messes made by people failing to communicate effectively, and the first step in addressing that problem is always, slow down.

You will not get 10% further in life by going 10% faster. People moving quickly, failed at planning. The entire mystery of the universe is accessible to you in your current location.

tombert•27 minutes ago

I don't think it should be "stigmatized", but I will say that walking slow actually hurts me. I love museums, but that slow "museum walking" will leave my back feeling extremely sore by the end of the day.

I feel like even if I covered the same distance (or longer) walking quickly, it wouldn't be nearly as painful.

elmomle•7 minutes ago

I used to get lower back pain standing in concerts. For me, the pain had a lot to do with not properly engaging my glutes and core while standing still or moving slowly.

Yoga was very helpful--it taught me to use my muscles to carry my body rather than letting myself sink into my joints.

CSSer•about 1 hour ago

I fully agree with you about communicating, but I’m not persuaded that translates to movement or is required for wisdom, which I think you’re broadly describing.

Physical movement can be joy. Dancing, running with children, playing sports with friends, and even just taking care of errands like cleaning so we can get on to enjoying our spaces with our friends and family are all benefits from being able to move and react faster. And I imagine any number of things will slow me down as I age, so I’ll take a +10% wherever I can get it!

kspacewalk2•21 minutes ago

If you intentionally walk and talk slower than you used to, because of considered reasons, this article isn't about your kind of slowing down. It's about the involuntary kind, which isn't stigmatised any more than the mere act of acknowledging any other physical symptom.

9991•30 minutes ago

> Why must moving slowly be stigmatised?

If you're quicker you can do more. I didn't have time to read the rest of your comment.

andrelaszlo•41 minutes ago

Being mindful is great. The article is just saying it's a health indicator:

> So why does walking speed even matter? It’s considered an important indicator of overall health. A hale and hearty speed signifies that your body’s systems—including your heart, lungs, muscles and nervous system—are working well together. “We call it the sixth vital sign”

jgalt212•about 1 hour ago

> Why must moving slowly be stigmatized?

Because, irrespective of your individual case, slowing down correlates strongly with ageing and diminished faculties.

cassianoleal•38 minutes ago

https://www.tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

kspacewalk2•23 minutes ago

There certainly won't be anything spurious about this correlation, even if there's no causing that can be proven. It's almost axiomatic that one comes along with the other.

kakacik•about 1 hour ago

Unless, you do it on purpose for reasons parent described. Stupid teenagerish kneejerk reactions are common, as are ego moves like comparing against each other (frequently done by deeply insecure individuals), that doesn't mean they are a smart long term approach to life, regardless of age.

I am old enough to know they aren't. That doesn't mean I don't like walking fast if situation allows, but thats part of my continuous training, injury recovery, or active rest.

rickcarlino•37 minutes ago

My mom is several years into Alzheimer’s and is at a point where she requires our help for nearly every daily task. She got a hearing aid put in last year and at the same time, she walks so slowly we often need to bring a wheelchair with us to get daily tasks done when she is around. There is definitely something going on here.

erelong•about 2 hours ago

https://archive.ph/m4P4K

quaintdev•27 minutes ago

https://archive.is/m4P4K

Hoodedcrow•22 minutes ago

I don't ha e hearing problems, but I have noticed I arrive at places quicker when I don't have headphones on. Sadly this doesn't happen often because I'm low-key addicted.

m463•about 2 hours ago

proprioception degrades with age, strength training is the counter.

(from "younger next year")

AnimalMuppet•about 2 hours ago

Why strength training, instead of, say, ultimate frisbee or pickleball?

lc9er•about 1 hour ago

I'm a big fan of strength training, but think it too often gets suggested as the solution to every problem, when really, we need some mix of strength training, cardio (anything from walking, to martial arts or team sports, whatever you'll actually do), mobility, and balance training. Your cardio/activity, depending on your choice could, account for a lot of this.

Hoodedcrow•24 minutes ago

I chose aerial gymnastics because that seems to be a combination of ALL you mentioned.

ordersofmag•about 1 hour ago

Strength training can be done carefully with correct motions. Team sports with unpredictable dynamic movement not so much. Not to say you shouldn't engage in these, at any age, and that they have positive health benefits. They just aren't as safe as strength training for folks at the age where this is all relevant.

pnw•43 minutes ago

Pickleball has a disproportionately high injury rate for people over 40. You'd be far better off taking up the gym or yoga.

euroderf•36 minutes ago

I always at least skim every fitness article in the ny times, and there seems to be a consensus that at least for old farts (like me), strength training at some level brings a variety of health benefits.

browningstreet•about 1 hour ago

Resistance training. A thing even professional frisbee or pickleball player usually still supplement with, as well…

Systemic and muscular vitality is optimized when you get cardio, resistance, and bounding/dynamic movement. Heart, slow twitch, and fast twitch.

m463•about 1 hour ago

made me wonder too, found: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4477923/

> Key Points

> - Improvements in joint position sense can be attained via standard strength-training exercises.

> - Performing resistance exercises at consistent intensity rather than varying intensity resulted in better proprioception performance.

kakacik•about 1 hour ago

One can be done in old age, with some care (or bodyweight variant), ultimate frisbee... I can't imagine, unless you mean just frisbee. More like recipe for injured joint.

djmips•about 1 hour ago

I am convinced that ultimate frisbee and pickleball also work. Another one is running or walking in nature, for example a beach - basically moving through an environment where the ground isn't flat.

cubefox•40 minutes ago

There is also a correlation between walking pace and IQ. See e.g. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle...

j4cobgarby•about 3 hours ago

Are problems with the ear the cause of this (i.e., the Problem), or just another symptom of a broader problem? My impression from the article is the latter.

krackers•32 minutes ago

Seems like the obvious confounding factor is just aging: Old people have problems with hearing, and old people are also less likely to walk briskly. The subset of people with undiagnosed hearing problems probably aren't taking care of their health in general.

AnthonBerg•about 2 hours ago

Exactly.

Oxidative stress is my unrelenting hunch.

(Frankly, it is ridiculous to me that doctors go around saying that fixing your hearing will free up your brain will fix your life. Fix the thing that's dragging down an expensive system that's wired straight into the sensorium and yep, you'll fix your other expensive systems like the brain.)

kennywinker•about 2 hours ago

https://xkcd.com/552/ Seems appropriate

Ylpertnodi•about 1 hour ago

> appropriate

Fair play for not using the word 'obligatory '.

m3kw9•about 1 hour ago

is it because you use more of your focus to try to hear things so you walk slower.