Association of self-perception and perception gap in walking speed with frailty: The Otassha study.

Summary: Do you feel like you are walking slower as you get older? It turns out that just thinking you are slowing down might be linked to feeling weaker or more frail. Researchers studied 467 older adults to see if their actual walking speed matched how fast they felt they were walking.

They found that people who believed they were slowing down were more likely to be frail, even if their actual walking speed had not changed at all! This means that having a negative view of your own movement is a strong warning sign. Helping seniors feel more positive and confident about their walking might actually help keep them strong, healthy, and independent.