Can You Improve Your Fitness Level by Taking the Stairs at Work?

Do you take the elevator at work – or head to the stairwell instead? You may think that taking the stairs at work would have minimal impact on your fitness level. Not necessarily so. Even short periods of activity count when it comes to your health. According to a study carried out at the University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland, something as simple as taking the stairs at work can improve your fitness level as well as your overall health.

 Just Say “No” to the Elevator

It’s so easy to press the button for the elevator instead of making the trek up the stairs, especially when you’re wearing work clothes. But if you value your health, head for the stairwell. Researchers asked 77 hospital employees to climb the stairs at work rather than use the elevator. These employees had a mostly sedentary lifestyle at home, doing more sitting than working out at the gym. During the course of the 3-month study, the participants climbed the stairs an average of 23 times a day, up from 5 times a day prior to the study.

At the completion of the study, researchers measured their aerobic capacity, or V02 max, and compared it to measurements taken prior to the study. Even though the participants did no other formal exercise, their V02 max increased an average of 3.2 ml/kg/min – plus their waist circumference decreased by 1.8% and body fat dropped by 1.7%. Most people would be happy to get those benefits from making an easy lifestyle change. The participants had other health benefits as well including a drop in blood pressure and levels of LDL-cholesterol. All of these findings translate into a reduced risk of mortality. Not bad for simply changing how they get around at work.

 Other Reasons to Take the Stairs at Work

Several studies have linked sitting for prolonged periods of time with greater mortality. One way to avoid the problems of sitting too much is to take frequent breaks to move around. What better way to get the blood circulating than to go up and down the stairs a few times? If you weigh 150 pounds, you’ll burn 9 calories every minute you’re climbing the stairs. You’re also giving your glutes, hamstrings, and calves a quick workout. Climbing the stairs has other benefits. It increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain so you’ll be more alert and focused when you return to your desk.

 What Does This Mean?

Climbing the stairs instead of taking the elevator seems like a small thing, but this study shows it can have measurable benefits when you do it consistently. If you’re lucky and work in a building with at least a few flights of stairs, take a break during the day to go up and down them. When you have the choice of hopping on the elevator or heading to the stairwell, choose the latter. You can get a “mini-workout” during the day spending 5 or 10 minutes in the stairwell. Even if you do a formal workout before or after work, going up and down the stairs periodically during the day keeps your body from going into “sleep” mode where your metabolism slows down and fatigue and lack of motivation set in. Small changes really do matter when it comes to staying fit and healthy. Make the right choice, and take the stairs.

References:

European Society of Cardiology. “The Geneva Stair Study”

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