Taking regular walks may add years to your life. Studies have shown that walking improves muscular function and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

You don’t even have to go especially fast to get these health benefits. Walking at a speed of 3 miles per hour (mph)—the average walking speed for most adults—can help boost your longevity.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the most active American adults walk the equivalent of 160 minutes per day at about 3 mph. According to the findings, if the least active adults walked an extra 111 minutes at this pace each day, they could extend their lives by almost 11 years.

Setting the treadmill to 3 mph and walking for 111 minutes won’t magically add that extra decade to your life. But, finding ways to make walking—or other moderate-intensity exercises—part of your regular routine can help improve your lifelong health.

“The big question is long-term adherence, and that’s where walking really has no competition because walking is a low-impact activity,” said Panteleimon (“Paddy”) Ekkekakis, PhD, a professor of exercise psychology and chair of the department of kinesiology at Michigan State University. “It is rated as pleasant and enjoyable by most people.”

Think of 3 mph as a Helpful Target for Your Walking Speed

Current physical activity guidelines recommend adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and strength train two or more days each week.

“Walking is one of the best ways that we have to maintain our physical activity and health,” said Thomas Buford, PhD, a professor of medicine and the director of the Center for Exercise Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

However, a 2022 report from the National Center for Health Statistics found that fewer than one in four adults met the exercise recommendations. There are a lot of reasons why: It can feel overwhelming, painful, expensive, and time-consuming.

Brisk walking counts as moderate-intensity, so lacing up your shoes and taking a stroll can help you meet your fitness goals. Plus, you don’t need special equipment or new skills.

“Three miles an hour, on average, is a nice target for people,” Buford said.

However, it’s all up to individual health and fitness. Don’t rush to reach that pace if you’re not physically ready, also don’t limit yourself to 3 mph if you can safely walk at 4 mph, he added.

Walking Speed Is a Vital Sign for Older Adults

Walking speed, or gait speed, can also help healthcare providers diagnose certain medical conditions. Using gait speed this way is different than thinking about tracking walking speed to improve physical fitness. But, measuring walking speed is an inexpensive way for healthcare providers to monitor someone’s mobility, cognitive health risks, and how well they are aging.

When used this way, walking speed is sometimes called the “sixth vital sign.” Like body temperature and blood pressure, walking speed provides insights into a person’s overall well-being.

Studies have linked slow gait speed with accelerated aging, dementia risk, and poor outcomes during certain surgeries.

Slow gait speed can also predict fall risk. Providers can time someone while they walk four meters. People with a gait speed of less than 1 meter per second—or about 2.2 mph—have an increased risk of falling.

Why? People who shuffle when they walk or have trouble standing up from a chair might not have “the nervous system capacity to coordinate walking or the muscle capacity to walk quickly,” Ekkekakis said.

Find a Walking Routine You Enjoy

If you want to increase your walking speed for overall fitness, talk with a trusted healthcare provider about how to safely increase your pace.

Remember, walking is just one way to boost physical activity and health. If you don’t enjoy it, you can try other moderate-intensity activities like water aerobics or dancing.

“I tend to always encourage people to do something that they are going to enjoy and stick with,” Buford said. You’re more likely to push yourself to do that activity more days per week, for a longer duration, or faster, he added. “Increase that over time compared to yourself, less so compared to others.”