Climbing Stairs

Climbing stairs is one of the best exercises for your heart, muscles and bones. It burns calories while building muscle mass, especially in the buttocks and legs. In climbing stairs you are lifting...

Climbing stairs is one of the best exercises for your heart, muscles and bones. It burns calories while building muscle mass, especially in the buttocks and legs. In climbing stairs you are lifting your body against gravity and providing it a good workout. It is estimated that you expend 95 calories in climbing 72 steps per minute. Put differently, merely 5 minutes of stair climbing can burn 144 calories. Climbing stairs is a lifestyle activity that can be incorporated at home, at the workplace, and in public areas. Just opt for stairs instead of elevators and escalators.

Physician referral

Physicians counsel stair climbing to counter the current obesity epidemic; medical studies laud the health benefits accrued from incorporating small bursts of activity throughout the day. Stair climbing neatly falls into this category. It has been scientifically demonstrated that those who climbed 20 floors per week lowered their risk of death by stroke by 20%. This strong correlation between climbing stairs and disease deterrence has prompted the general public to opt for stairs. Furthermore, stair climbing is a free fitness opportunity that presents itself on several occasions.

Stair climbing and calorie expenditure

Stair climbing can be converted into a serious calorie expending activity by simply running up and down the stairs. Care should be taken to stay within the Target Heart Rate. Stair climbing does not burn fat; instead it creates muscle mass, which raises your metabolism. Stair climbing for burning calories can be explained in terms of horsepower. If you weigh 150 pounds and each step raises you one foot, and you walk the stairs at the rate of one step every second, you are doing 150 pounds of work every second or a quarter of a horsepower. If you were to run up 4 steps every second, you would indulge in 600 foot-pounds of work every second. That is heavy calorie expenditure.

Summary

Stair climbing is thus a physical activity that is freely available; when done intensely, stair climbing builds lower body strength and cardiovascular endurance. It is salutary to remember that both step aerobics and the stair climber have been modeled on stair climbing. So next time simply climb the stairs instead of punching the elevator button.

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