Stair Climbing: How Good Is It For Health?

While climbing stairs is just a normal and regular part of daily life, it is actually associated with positive health outcomes.

Climbing Stairs For Health

In fact, a new study shows that climbing stairs could help a person live longer. Dr. Sophie Paddock, a study author from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, explains that if one has an option to take a lift or climb up stairs, it is recommended to take the stairs as this is good for the heart. Dr. Paddock adds that just brief physical activity bursts could yield great health impacts.

The study results encourage people to have more physical activity incorporated into their lives. The researchers also hope that their study could encourage healthcare professionals and policymakers to promote stair climbing and physical activity.

Exercise For Health

Sports cardiologist John Higgins, MD, from McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, explains that exercise enhances vascular function and strengthens heart muscle, among other positive impacts.

Aerobic activities, such as swimming, biking, running, and walking, could all help the heart improve its functional ability. Benjamin Boudreaux, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow from the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University, shares that aerobic exercise could help the heart become more efficient in pumping blood, reducing heart failure risk.

Boudreaux explains that climbing stairs counts as aerobic exercise, which offers various benefits for heart health.

Regular aerobic exercise could help reduce blood pressure across a 24-hour period. This could enhance blood vessel flexibility and reduce hypertension risk. Exercise may also increase good HDL cholesterol levels, which could also help decrease levels of bad LDL cholesterol and atherosclerosis risk.

Exercise may also help with insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation.

How Many Stairs To Climb Daily

The study did not give recommendations regarding the frequency of stair climbing. However, experts say that it is good to aim for three to six flights of stairs each day. This is under the assumption that one flight has 10 to 15 stairs.

Another study also suggests climbing over five flights of stairs (equivalent to 50 stair steps) each day in order to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

Higgins also explains that when one's heart rate increases with stair climbing, this could help the strengthening of heart muscle and efficiency of blood pumping. Because of this, the heart would have to work less in order to finish its daily task of pumping nutrient-dense and oxygen-filled blood across the body.

Boudreaux also recommends that people climb at least one flight of stairs each day.

For those who do not have stairs at home, there are still various ways for such an activity to be integrated in daily life. If a person works in a building or office that has several floors, they may consider taking the stars rather than lifts. Other structures, such as malls, hotels, and airports, also have stairwells that the public can use.

Experts also recommend increasing the pace in order to enhance cardiorespiratory fitness with stair climbing.

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