Inactivity is as risky as smoking!
Exercise should be pair of our daily lifestyle, but how many of us are actually following the exercise rule? Lack of any exercise can lead to various health problems. Over eating with less exercise can weaken the body muscles, create stiff joints and increase your risk of developing all kinds of heart diseases.
Spending hours in the gym to sweat out the health problem doesn’t necessarily produce positive results, but any sort of exercise is good- running, walking, gardening or even climbing the stairs. Each exercise type yields multiple health benefits.
Climbing the stairs is one of the most accessible and easily available exercise routines available for busy people. According to a research, climbing stairs is considered to be one of the best ways to burn calories and strengthen your heart. It is directly linked with reduced risk of heart diseases.It is said that an overweight person can lose up to twelve pounds by climbing two flights of stairs a day for a year. Only strenuous activities like playing football and sprinting seem to burn up more energy per minute than climbing stairs. Regular stair climbing is also a beneficial augmentative exercise in a vigorous cardiovascular workout. It is very effective exercise that burns fat faster and stimulates the body metabolism process.
Climbing stairs is a great way to lose weight, it improve the fitness, tones up the body and strengthens the muscles of the entire body, specially our legs, tummy and buttocks. Climbing stairs functions as a useful workout routine if you don’t have time to join the gym and wish to burn the calories.
Also Read: Diet for Weight Loss: You Were Missing Something So Simple!
Research Corner
Researchers in England and Northern Ireland asked 12 sedentary women to climb a 200-step staircase, progressing from once a day to six times a day. (They were allowed to take the elevator down.) Each ascent took about 2 minutes, so by the end of the study, the women were exercising only 12 minutes a day.
In less than 2 months, they saw a boost in their fitness level, along with improvements in their cholesterol level that were enough to cut their risk of cardiovascular disease by 33%. “This is among the best evidence that short bouts of exercise can have tremendous health benefits,” says study author Colin Boreham, PhD, of the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.
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In a second study of nearly 13,500 men, those who climbed up and down at least 700 steps a week, or 100 steps a day (half that of the first study), reduced their risk of death by nearly 20 percent. This reduction is comparable to what you’d achieve by walking about 2 miles a day, which takes most people 35 to 40 minutes. From a calorie-burning perspective, you’d have to walk briskly for 30 minutes to burn the same number of calories that you would climbing stairs for 15 minutes. Stairclimbing is vigorous exercise. The gluteshigher intensity seems to be a key factor in these benefits, explains Dr.Boreham.
Yes! It works: Advantages of Climbing Stairs
By taking the stairs wherever you go, the body’s largest muscle group is forced to repeatedly lift the body weight up and this practice is far more superior to exercising on flat surfaces just to burn more calories.
Also, climbing stairs helps raise the heart rate immediately, maximizing the cardio benefits. It also engages every major muscle in the lower body as many as 120+ times/minute: Hamstrings, quadriceps and calves and gives toned and sculpted muscles. For a low impact workout, you can climb just a few stairs a day that will surely yield a good result.
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Achieve a desired weight loss: Just one Step Up
The key to weight loss is simple: burn more calories than you take in. As a weight-bearing exercise that helps to build strong bones, climbing stairs also contributes to preventing osteoporosis. Climbing the stairs leverages gravity and the heavier we are, the harder we’re forced to work and the more calories we burn. It is a very efficient way of burning maximum calories and is great for those of us with limited time to exercise.
Burn the calories in few minutes
The number of calories burned by climbing stairs depends on how long it takes, the intensity of the activity and your weight. There are stair climbing machines that are also available in the market which give the promising results.
Related: Maintain Your Weight: Body Shape And Diet
Don’t be boring! Try something new!
It is necessary to take the exercise to next level when body adapts to one particular style. Especially with the stairs, one can try different styles from Monday to Saturday.
- Stair Walk
- Stair Jog
- Stair Sprints
- Stair Lunges
- Hop Ups
- Two-foot hops
- Crossover Lunges
- Single leg stair hops
- Single leg side stair hops
- Stair Intervals
Various styles can be practiced in different frequencies. Out of the above there are 5 most Effective Exercises to Lose Belly Fat
- Lunge Stair Climbing
- Cross Lunge Stair Climbing
- Wide Lunge Stair Climbing
- Side Lunge Stair Climbing
- Jump Stair Climbing
Precautions to be taken while exercising
- Always warm up and cool down before and after a workout session. (especially the lower person calves, hamstrings, thighs and buttock).
- Use the railings to help pull you up the hills
- Watch the form and posture – Lean forward when you are climbing the stairs to prevent stress on your lower back.
- Control the movement – When climbing, do not lock your knees or you may injure yourself.
- Take sufficient rest breaks between every workout.
- Dress comfortably and wear appropriate exercise footwear.Also Read: Healthy Slimming Strategies
Know any exercise fanatics or someone who’s looking to lose weight, then do share this article with them. Also, post comments in case you have any health-related queries.
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