You walk into an office building or hotel and need to get to an upper floor. Do you look around for the elevator or head for the stairs?
Most people choose the elevator, even though using the stairs would not take much longer. But if you do choose to take the stairs, you’ll be adding some exercise to your outing. And your heart will reap the benefit. In a recent study, people who climbed a few flight of stairs for a total of 13,5 minutes a day over six weeks lowered their resting heart rate and increased their good cholesterol level.
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator can also help you lose weight. Walking up the stairs burns three times more calories than riding the elevator. And you don’t need any special equipment or gym membership to do it.
American Council on Exercise and American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Source: Wellsource, Inc. Used with permission.