Speed Walk

In the latest Rundown, connected fitness gets a new mirror, brisk walkers are younger biologically and sleeping for seven hours is best for brain health in middle and older age.

The Rundown

Mirror Competition. The crowded connected fitness market has a new player. Fiture is an interactive connected mirror that has real-time form feedback, voice control, customizable workouts and it recognizes gestures—you can virtually high-five your instructor, for example. Motion sensors recognize over 1,000 movements across various classes and are capable of counting reps, pace, sets and time. There are curated workouts but it also lets you create your own. You can pick specific movements and customize how long you do them and how many reps you want based on your current fitness level and goals.

Speed Walk. Researchers at the University of Leicester have confirmed that a brisk walking pace leads to better health. Specifically, they used information in people’s genetic profile to show that a faster walking pace is likely to lead to a younger biological age as measured by telomeres.

Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes that protect the ends of chromosomes from damage. As cells divide, the DNA component shortens, decreasing in most cell types as people age. For this reason, telomere length is considered a valuable marker for measuring biological age.

The study looked at genetic data from the UK Biobank of more than 400,000 middle-aged adults and compared it to walking speeds that were both self-reported and taken from activity trackers. It is one of the first studies to analyze all of these factors together. The researchers report that there was a 16-year biological age difference between those classified as fast and slow walkers, according to telomere length.

Sleep Seven. What does a good night’s sleep mean at different stages of life? A new study (read the abstract) from scientists at the University of Cambridge and Fudan University in China suggest that seven hours of sleep per night is optimal for brain health during middle and old age.

The research analyzed close to 500,000 adults aged between 38 and 73. The data included surveys on sleeping patterns, mental health and wellbeing and cognitive testing. Brain imaging and genetic data was available for nearly 40,000 subjects.

The analysis, which built on results from a 2018 study, found that both too little and too much sleep had negative effects, impacting visual attention, problem-solving, memory and processing speed. Symptoms of depression and anxiety also increased.

The scientists determined that seven hours was the magic number for ideal brain health and sleeping more or less may be a risk factor for age-related cognitive decline.

Replay

This week’s vintage moment is fitness culture is brought to you by a 1940’s “slenderizing salon,” as pictured in Life magazine. Photo credit: Alfred Eisenstaedt/Getty Images.