Benefits of Stair Climbing – Why Climbing Stairs is Good for Health

Climbing stairs is good for health as it tones up our body system and keeps us fit. Young professionals who sit in front of a computer prefer climbing stairs, and even older people find this a better option. This activity has proved its worthiness as scientific tests have indicated that it impacts our whole body system. Keeping this in view, medical practitioners recommend this form of physical exercise.

Exercise is essential to tone up one’s body. Regular exercise keeps one’s body in good shape, and one can maintain good health. In modern times, people are time-pressed and rarely get the time to do any exercise. Many people lead a sedentary lifestyle. Often, their work is such that their mobility gets restricted. Naturally, such people must contract some form of exercise. The best thing to do is to climb stairs when going to the office or, for that matter, even while shopping.

Most people avoid climbing steps and prefer going up in an elevator. This is very easy and less physically taxing. On the other hand, if they made an effort to climb stairs, they could improve their physical health. Any form of exercise is good for health.

Over-weight people should make it a point to climb stairs as they will burn off those excessive calories.

Who should avoid this physical activity

• Busy office-goers who have meetings to attend
• Elderly
• Women

Scientific evidence has indicated that those who are physically mobile retain better health. Let us have insight into this:

In what way climbing stairs is good for health?

• Climbing stairs is one of the best form of exercise
• Blood circulation is improved and is one of the major benefits of stair climbing
• Climbing stairs makes one more agile
• One can lose those extra pounds in weight
• Good for the knee joints
• Stair climbing is equal to 30 minutes of regular physical exercise
• Those who are active stair climbers are very fit physically and tend to have a high aerobic capacity
• Improves one’s stress capacity
• There happens to be a strong link between bone density and stair climbing
• Stair climbing improves “good cholesterol”
• Good form of cardiovascular exercise
• Makes one feel more energetic
• Psychologically one feels healthy
• One feels younger also even though they may feel physically older
• Fat burner, thus controlling obesity
• Body Toner
• Promotes agility
• A cardiovascular exercise that strengthens the heart muscle
• Better knee joint functioning
• More oxygen to the brain and heart
• A firm musculoskeletal system
• Less chances of Type 2 diabetes occurrence
• Less risk of stroke
• Reduces the chances of cancer onset
• A daily physical workout
• Better body immunity
• Improves stress coping up tenacity
• Lower risk of mortality

What are the mental benefits of climbing stairs

• One feels more active
• Endorphins get released, which keep one in a good mood
• One feels less depressed in old age as one is walking
• One maintains a calm and happy disposition
• One’s self-esteem is improved upon
• One feels more confident
• Dependency on others is less as one is physically moving around
• One will meet up to one’s fitness goals
• Enhancement of mental alertness

Other generic benefits:

• Saves time as one may not make it to the gym daily
• No cost incurred
• Simple exercise to perform
• Makes one feel healthy and fit

Goal targets for step climbing:

• Climb a few steps at times. Increase the pace slowly
• 30-minute workout daily is good

Step climbing is good for health rather than sitting for hours. Physical activity for the young and old is highly recommended medically. Many prefer the elevator as they feel they are saving time.

Is there any proof that it helps?

• One requires 8 to 9 times more energy burning than sitting for hours
• One burns 0.15 calories every step climbed, so on the whole, one burns 1 calorie every 10 steps
• Every step one descends, one burns 0.15 calories. Thus, one would burn 1 calorie every 20 steps that one comes down
• Additional 3-minute climb up the stairs reduces middle-aged people from gaining weight near the waist
• 7 hours more energy burning than traveling in an escalator

Evidence that it is good for health concepts:

• It has also been observed that an overweight person can lose up to 12 pounds if they climb 2 flights of stairs for a year, similar to dragging logs or sprinting exercises. Times of India
• Spending 7 minutes climbing stairs daily reduces the risk of heart attack by nearly half for over 10 years.

How this relates to Aerobic exercises

• Better option to walking
• Continuous usage of legs and movements promotes deeper breathing
• Improves heart beat
• Release of Endorphins for mood elevation
• Energy levels are improved
• Generates more physical activity per day

Quantum of aerobic activity vis-a-vis stair climbing:

Nearly 30 to 60 minutes of aerobics for 3 to 5 days a week is recommended for fitness, and a person must make it a point to climb that many stairs daily. One must do all forms of exercise sparingly.

Precautions

The physical stress upon the ankles and the knees results in calorie burning, but one must also be careful as there is pressure on the knee joints and ankles due to the body weight. It is advisable to consult a physician, particularly if one has a health issue.

Next time you see a staircase, climb it if you can, as you will have the chance to climb many more. Otherwise, you may end up with a heart problem and may suffer. Indeed, climbing stairs is good for your health!