Study author Dr Sophie Paddock, from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals Foundation Trust in the UK, said: ‘We were surprised that such simple exercise could reduce all-cause mortality. . NPR.

Her team looked at data from about 480,000 participants and analyzed heart disease risk based on factors such as blood pressure, smoking history, cholesterol and genetic risk factors. Participants ranging in age from mid-30s to mid-80s also answered questions about their lifestyle and exercise habits. People who climbed stairs were better able to avoid heart disease for 12 years.

How many flights of stairs do I need to climb?

2023 Research Published in the Journal atherosclerosis, We found out how many stairs you need to climb every day to improve your heart health. Put simply? Taking just five flights a day can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%.

“Researchers found that participants who regularly climbed five flights of stairs a day had a 19% reduction in the relative risk of heart disease,” says internist Dr. Yvonne Cobbin. “Unfortunately, people who started out climbing stairs but then stopped had a 32% higher risk of heart disease than those who didn’t exercise at all.”

Like all studies, this study has limitations, said Dr. Robert Harrington, a cardiologist and chair of Weill Cornell Medicine. “This study was conducted using data from the UK Biobank, a large-scale observational/epidemiological study that is widely used for research purposes,” he says. Because this study was observational, it was not possible to establish causal relationships (e.g., “climb more stairs”) equal Reduced cardiac events. ); rather, this study simply points to a link between this activity and heart health.

Why walking stairs is good for your health

Heart disease kills one in five people in the United States each year, accounting for approximately 695,000 deaths each year. Stair climbing falls into the category of aerobic exercise, or exercise that increases your heart rate and oxygen levels through repetitive activity. In general, aerobic exercise reduces the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

“Stair walking is similar to many activities such as walking, running, and bicycling that are associated with improved cardiovascular risk, including reduced heart attacks,” Harrington says. “Walking up the stairs may take a little more effort than just walking, and it also requires some balance and core strength to address issues such as frailty and muscle weakness.”

Elevating a few dozen feet before sitting at a desk all day may also improve longevity. “As we get older, climbing stairs improves leg strength and back strength, both of which can help prevent falls,” Cobin says. Specifically, postmenopausal people who climb stairs have been found to have higher bone density.

How to start climbing stairs to improve heart health

To start improving your heart health now, Harrington recommends incorporating aerobic exercise, such as stair climbing, into your exercise regimen. “Following the recommendations of the American Heart Association, I ask my patients to aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week (30 minutes five days a week). This means walking at a moderate pace and doing some light weight lifting to maintain strength,” he says. Walking up and down the stairs burns about 8 to 11 calories per minute, so it’s considered “moderate exercise.”

However, exercise is not the ultimate means to improve your health. Cobbin recommends keeping his six pillars of lifestyle medicine in mind when choosing how to support your mind and body. “Lifestyle medicine is a subspecialty of medicine that focuses on evidence-based methods to support heart health,” she explains.

These six pillars contain a lot of classic advice that you’ve probably heard before. Eat whole, plant-based foods when possible, prioritize restorative sleep, squeeze in 150 minutes of exercise per week, avoid dangerous substances like tobacco and alcohol, and make time for social connections. Let’s make it. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by prioritizing these six actions, approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes can be prevented.

3 stair training exercises you should try

While there are many benefits to simply climbing the stairs, you can also try stepping up your stair workout in your local stairwell or using the stair climber at your local gym.

1. Stair interval training

Climb one flight of stairs at a controlled pace and the other at a slightly faster (but still safe and controlled) pace. Repeat 3 to 5 times, depending on how comfortable you are walking up the stairs. Take a break and repeat the workout one or two more times.

2. Stair climbing and calisthenics

Design yourself a circuit workout where you climb a few flights of stairs at a moderate pace, then get down to the floor and do some strength training like push-ups or crunches. For example, let’s say he climbs the stairs for 3 sets, does 10 squats, rests for 1 minute, and then repeats the entire cycle.

3. Stair climbing by time

For a quick workout, set the timer on your watch or phone for 10 minutes and walk up the stairs or stairs with slow, sustained effort. At the end of the 10 minutes, she takes a 5-minute break and then returns to her 10-minute task.

Additional reporting by Jordyn Bradley

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