Take the Stairs

Are you the type of person who gives the reason why you’re out of shape is because you’re too busy and just don’t have the time to do any exercise? Let me challenge your thinking for a minute…

Have you ever heard of the term Exercise Snacks? This means doing brief energetic bursts of physical activity throughout the day, which according to a 2019 research study, improves heart health.

In this study, a group of previously sedentary adults vigorously climbed three flights of stairs, three times a day, three days a week. Compared to a control group, who were sedentary adults who did no exercise at all, after only six weeks the active group had improved their cardiorespiratory fitness - as well as their strength!

Previous research showed that if you did 10 minutes of vigorous exercise mixed with recovery intervals once a day, you’d get results, but this new study indicates that you can spread that same volume across the course of the day and still see improvements.

We should all be aware that any movement is better than none at all and especially movements that requires effort provide greater benefits, so perhaps if you’re making excuses that you’ve no time to be physically active, you should realise it doesn’t take much time to make a difference, so you should go ahead and start snacking more!

This week’s challenge is in two parts: (i) try and always take the stairs instead of the lift or escalator at every opportunity and (ii) at least once a day give your stair climb a quick burst of energy, either through “fast feet” going quickly up each step one at a time, or by “powering up” climbing two steps each at a time.

Always check with your doctor before you begin any new vigorous exercise routine, especially if you haven’t exercise for a while or if you have any health condition.

Source: Do stair climbing exercise “snacks” improve cardiorespiratory fitness