Climbing stairs burns calories quickly and can be added to your daily routine.
If you are trying lose weight If you want a new way to do it, taking the stairs as a regular exercise — or just adding a few flights a day — may be right for you, especially since it’s easily accessible and research has shown it’s more effective than walking on flat ground.
“In general, it’s known that climbing stairs gets you fitter faster and burns more calories,” said Laurie Van Houten, vice president of the International Vertical Running Federation, which oversees a wide range of disciplines that involve vertical climbing.
This includes disciplines such as mountain running at altitudes above 2,000 metres (about 6,500 feet) or events such as the World Stair Climbing Championships.
These competitions are for people who are physically fit, but here we are talking about adding a few minutes of stair climbing to a daily routine and raising awareness of its effectiveness for all ages.
“How many calories will I burn is the question everyone wants to know,” says Van Houten. “Here’s the good news: Your total energy expenditure in exercise depends on your weight. So the more you weigh, the more you burn.”
Climbing stairs burns calories quickly.
Research shows that you burn about twenty times more calories climbing stairs than walking on level ground. Even descending stairs, you burn nearly five times as many calories, as your muscles slow your descent.
This is probably all you need to know if you are trying to lose weight.
Dr. Alberto Minniti, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, has conducted extensive research on human movement – including stair climbing.
Minetti told the agency: Associated Press“It’s an exercise that anyone can do. You’ll always have stairs nearby – and it’s free compared to a gym.”
Minetti did a calculation to explain why climbing stairs is so effective at burning calories in a short period of time.
“To move one kilogram of body mass one horizontal meter, you expend 0.5 calories,” he says. “If you move one kilogram of body mass vertically up the stairs, you expend 10 calories. So the calories you burn vertically are 20 times as many as the calories you burn horizontally.”
Trained as a physician, Minniti has spent his career researching rather than treating patients. He suggests “watching your pace” for beginners and non-young people. He practices climbing stairs himself in his third-floor apartment in Milan and said he often takes deep breaths before going up, which makes him feel refreshed at the top.
In a scientific study, Minetti confirms that using the arms to climb stairs adds extra strength and handrails also provide safety.
The magazine notes that handrails are available in most skyscraper stairwells, which increases “the muscle mass involved, and therefore the mechanical/metabolic power of the ascent” by engaging the arms.
Stairs everywhere
Stairs are everywhere – one floor, two floors in a house, inside skyscrapers, in stadiums and arenas, at work, in shopping malls, in the subway.
One of the great benefits of stair climbing is that it doesn’t take long, it’s easy to start by climbing a few flights of stairs every day or week, and it improves balance.
On the downside, the view isn’t very scenic, especially up the stairs of the tall skyscrapers.
Climbing stairs can be included in your daily routine.
Last year, Yuri Yoshizumi won the women’s division of the World Stair Climbing Championships in her hometown of Osaka, Japan, climbing 285 metres (935 feet) – 1,610 steps – and finishing in 10 minutes, 20.06 seconds.
“Stair climbing is an easy exercise for beginners and the general public,” Yoshizumi told The Associated Press in an email. “Elite athletes put in a lot of effort, so it’s quite challenging. But it’s good for strengthening your muscles and cardiovascular system in a short period of time.”
Another advantage, she added, is living in a big city like Osaka. “It’s possible to do it in the city. Just taking the stairs instead of the escalators in subway stations and department stores is a good way to get some exercise.”
