Climbing stairs is one of those annoying things that we all know is good for us, but rarely seems attractive. No matter how good you feel, climbing the stairs is always guaranteed to leave you a little sweaty and out of breath, which isn't ideal when you're attending an important meeting at work. Want to stop hating this form of activity? Then you need to find out what climbing the stairs gives.
ContentHow the study was carried outWhat benefits of climbing stairs: research resultsOther benefits of climbing stairs
It turns out that climbing stairs at every opportunity can not only improve your physical fitness, but also actively prolong your life. WomanEL will share recent findings from scientists.
How the study was conducted
The new study was carried out by researchers from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust. His results were presented to the European Society of Cardiology. A total of 480,479 participants aged 35 to 84 years took part in the studies. The studies included both healthy participants and those with a history of heart problems, such as heart attacks or peripheral artery disease.
One of the study authors, Sophie Paddock, noted that they were able to once again prove that short bursts of physical activity have a beneficial effect on health. People usually think that they need to spend hours working out in the gym, but even a few minutes will make a big difference in your longevity. Climbing stairs is an activity that's easy to add to your routine.
Benefits of climbing stairs: Study Findings
The figures presented in the study, which took into account the results of nine separate studies on the health benefits of climbing stairs, paint an impressive picture of the benefits that can bring climbing the stairs.
Taking all studies into account, the researchers found that those who climbed stairs regularly had a 24% lower risk of death from any cause. Those who chose not to climb stairs were 39% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.
Climbing stairs was also associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease overall, including heart attacks , heart failure and stroke.
Other benefits of climbing stairs
While more research is needed to find out whether climbing stairs more frequently enhances these benefits, scientists believe it may do so, suggesting that it's important to try to climb stairs as often as possible when the opportunity arises.
Of course, the benefits associated with climbing stairs aren't all that surprising. Climbing stairs not only raises your heart rate (and therefore improves your cardio fitness), but is also an excellent form of resistance training that, in addition to helping build muscle mass and bone density, also has cardiovascular benefits .
Climbing stairs is also a great way to get more active minutes per week. Experts recommend that all adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week (or 75 minutes of high-intensity activity such as running or HIIT).
So, the next time you're faced with the “lift or staircase,” keep this study in mind. Climbing stairs may not be the most fun activity in the world, but it can provide some serious benefits.
Do you prefer walking? Don't worry: it also increases your life expectancy. But you need to walk this amount.