Choosing the stairs instead of the elevator has been considered sage fitness advice for years, but new research backs up the health advice. A meta-analysis Presentations at the European Society of Cardiology conference over the weekend found that people who regularly climb stairs are 39% less likely to die from heart disease compared to those who don’t. They also had a lower risk of stroke and heart attack.
“I was surprised that such a simple form of exercise could reduce all-cause mortality,” the study author said. Dr Sophie Paddockfrom the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Trust in the UK reported NPR.
Her team analyzed data from about 480,000 participants, looking at their risk of heart disease based on factors including blood pressure, smoking history, cholesterol levels and genetic risk factors. Participants ranging in age from 30 to 80 also answered questions about their lifestyle and exercise habits. People who climbed stairs were better able to prevent heart disease over 12 years.
How many flights of stairs should you climb?
2023 study published in the journal Atherosclerosis, looked at exactly how many flights of stairs you need to climb every day to improve your heart health. Short answer? Mountaineering only five flights per day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%.
“Researchers found a 19% reduction in the relative risk of cardiovascular disease in participants who regularly climbed five flights of stairs a day,” says Dr. Yvonne Covin, an internal medicine physician. “Unfortunately, those who started climbing stairs but then stopped had a 32% higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those who did not exercise at all.”
Like all research, this study has its limitations. Dr. Robert Harrington cardiologist and dean of the Weill Cornell School of Medicine. “The study was conducted using data from the UK Biobank, a large observational/epidemiological study that has been widely used for research purposes,” he says. Because the study was observational in nature, it could not establish cause-and-effect relationships (e.g., “Climbing more stairs equals fewer cardiac events”); instead, the study simply points to a link between these activities and heart health.
Why walking up stairs is so good for you
Cardiovascular diseases account for one in five deaths in the US each year, killing about 695,000 people annually. Climbing stairs falls into the category aerobic exercise, or movement that increases your heart rate and oxygen levels through repetitive action. Generally speaking, aerobic exercise reduces the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and, of course, heart disease.
“Walking on stairs is similar to many activities such as walking, running and cycling that involve improved cardiovascular risk, for example, reducing the incidence of heart attacks,” says Harrington. “Walking up stairs can be a little more challenging than just walking, and also requires a certain amount of balance and core strength, which can help combat issues such as weakness and muscle weakness.”
Climbing a few dozen feet before sitting at a desk all day can also increase your lifespan. “As you age, climbing stairs can improve leg and back strength, which can improve help prevent falls“, says Kovin. In particular, it was found that postmenopausal people who climb stairs have higher bone density.
How to Start Climbing Stairs to Improve Heart Health
To start improving your heart health today, Harrington recommends incorporating some aerobic activity into your exercise routine, including stair climbing. “As recommended by the American Heart Association, I ask patients to aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week (30 minutes, 5 days a week). This basically means walking at a moderate pace and lifting light weights to maintain strength three times a week,” he says. Climbing stairs is considered “moderate exercise” because it burns. about eight to 11 calories per minute.
However, exercise is not the key to improving your health. Kovin recommends saving six pillars of lifestyle medicine Keep this in mind when choosing how to support your mind and body. “Lifestyle medicine is a medical specialty focused on evidence-based approaches to maintaining heart health,” she explains.
These six pillars include a lot of the classic advice you’ve probably heard before: eat whole plant foods whenever possible, prioritize restorative sleep, get 150 minutes of movement per week, avoid dangerous substances like tobacco and alcohol, and find time for social connections. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, this is about 80% of cases of heart diseasestroke and type 2 diabetes can be prevented by prioritizing these six behaviors.
3 Stair Workouts You Should Try
While simply taking the stairs has many benefits, you can also try upping the ante by doing stair training at a staircase near you or on a stair lift at your local gym.
1. Interval training on stairs
Alternate between climbing one flight of stairs at a controlled pace and one at a slightly faster (but still safe and controlled) pace. Repeat three to five times, depending on how comfortable you are with climbing stairs. Take a break and repeat the workout one or two more times.
2. Climbing stairs and rhythmic gymnastics.
Develop a circuit workout that involves walking up a few flights of stairs at a moderate pace, then hitting the floor for strength training such as push-ups or crunches. For example, you might walk up three flights of stairs, do 10 squats, and rest for one minute before repeating the entire circuit.
3. Climbing stairs on time
For a simple workout, simply set a timer on your watch or phone for 10 minutes and slowly, steadily walk up the stairs or stairs. Take a five-minute break at the end of a 10-minute exercise before returning to the next 10-minute effort.
Additional reporting by Jordyn Bradley
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