Nearly Half of Older Japanese Walk Half an Hour or More a Day to Stay Fit

A Walking Divide

Walking is often said to be the most fundamental way to maintain one’s health. Cosmo Health, which operates the senior-oriented market research service Cosmo Lab, conducted a survey on walking in March of this year that targeted people 50 and older, with a total of 1,524 responses received.

The most common amount of time spent walking per day was 10 to 30 minutes, accounting for 31.5% of the respondents. This was closely followed by 30 to 60 minutes at 29.8%, while a further 17.5% walk for an hour or more. This means that nearly half of the respondents walk 30 minutes or more every day. Meanwhile, those who hardly walk at all or walk less than 10 minutes a day made up just over 20%, revealing a clear divide between those who walk regularly and those who keep it to a minimum.

When asked what they bear in mind when walking, 61.0% said “keeping my back straight,” followed by “being careful not to fall” and “taking long strides,” at 49.7% and 34.4%, respectively. This strong emphasis on posture and avoiding falls seems to reflect the desire to remain as youthful as possible.

The top two concerns about walking in the future were “an injury from a fall” (50.7%) and “not being able to walk long distances” (50.1%). Meanwhile, just over 20% were concerned about each of “not being able to travel anymore” or “needing a cane or mobility aid.”

More than half of the respondents said that they “exercise and stretch” or “go for walks” so that they can stay active in the future. This suggests that many people are maintaining a daily routine to build the physical strength necessary to keep walking.

Data Sources

• Data on walking habits among people over 50 (Japanese) from Cosmo Health.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)