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Movement & Strength · Standing
Gait Speed
Your normal, unhurried walking speed. Researchers call it the “sixth vital sign” — up there with heart rate and blood pressure as a number worth knowing.
What it measures
Not how fast you can walk — how fast you naturally do. Gait speed quietly reflects strength, balance, cardiovascular health, and nervous-system function all at once.
How to do it
- 01Mark a straight, flat stretch — a hallway or sidewalk works. A common version uses about 4 meters (13 feet).
- 02Give yourself a couple of steps before the start line to get up to your normal pace.
- 03Walk it at your regular, unhurried pace — not a race, not a stroll.
- 04Time it, then divide distance by time to get your speed.
- 05Repeat once or twice and take the average.
What your score means
Gait speed cutoffs shift with age, sex, and measurement method, so this page won’t hand you a single hard number. What matters is having a baseline, and watching whether it holds steady or slips over time.
The research
Researchers call gait speed the “sixth vital sign” — it independently predicts mortality, hospitalization, and disability across populations worldwide.
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