A couple of years ago I was at a low point in my life.
There was not much good going on, and plenty of bad stuff.
It would have been easy to give up, I was getting fat and lazy.
But I didn’t, I knew there was more to life, and I could have a better one if I became more disciplined.
Health benefits of taking the stairs
They really are three little words that can completely change your life - “Take The Stairs“.
It is often the simplest things and changes that you make in your life that make the biggest difference.
I live near a great set of stairs down by the beach. There are 115 stairs and I have run up and down those things more times than I like to count.
Why? Because there is nothing like that feeling. You have to experience pain at times to experience the good things in life.
On my 40th birthday or thereabouts I ran up and down those stairs 40 times, and it took around 90 minutes. It was hard, but satisfying.
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Recently I just clocked over my 42nd birthday, and not one to be out done, I ran those stairs up and down 42 times!
Here are some of the amazing health benefits that you will gain from taking the stairs.
- Seven minutes of stair climbing (if done every day) is estimated to reduce the risk of a heart attack by more than half over ten years.
- Feeling a bit heavy? No problem because the heavier you are, the MORE calories you will burn by taking the stairs.
- Regular exercise like taking the stairs will help improve your cardiovascular fitness, gain a stronger musculoskeletal system and reduce the risk of diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes.
- Calorie burner - 1.5 calorie per ten stairs
- Double the benefit of a run - 10 minutes running up and down the stairs is equivalent to a 20 minute run
Taking the stairs at work
I work in an office as many people do. The entire building is only six stories high, however that really is enough for a challenging set of stairs. I believe at last count it was about 135 stairs from the ground floor to the sixth floor.
Every day when I arrive at work, instead of taking the elevator like everyone else I take the stairs. At lunchtime I go for a quick walk and also take the stairs. Over 5 days that means without even really trying I am going up and down the stairs 10 times.
It is estimated that you burn approximately .15 calories each stair that you climb.
Lets do the math
- 135 stairs x .15 calories = 20.25 calories
- Twice a day is 40.50 calories
Five times a week and that is over 200 calories!
Anyway you get the picture, part of becoming the super human that you can be involves taking the stairs.
There are two types of people in this world, those that take the stairs, and those that don’t.
When everyone else is getting in the lift, you need to be hitting the stairs.
It will enhance your health, your life and your well-being. Guaranteed!
