The lifesaving benefit of taking the STAIRS

We’ve all been there…

You’re out—maybe at a hotel, in a parking garage, a mall, or an office building—and you have the choice of taking the STAIRS or the ELEVATOR.

Now, you probably can guess that taking the stairs is better for you (get those daily steps in!) … but like most of us, you probably pile into the elevator instead.

There’s nothing wrong with that from time to time… but a new study might have you rethink forgoing the stairs!

A Tulane University study says taking the stairs might be one of the easiest—and most effective—movements to keep your heart in shape.

Researchers studied more than 450,000 adults over a 12-year period and found that folks to consistently walked up stairs each day had a LOWER risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD)—a deadly condition that can result in the narrowing and hardening of your arteries due to plaque… leading to heart diseases and strokes.

In fact, the study concluded that those who climbed more than five flights of stairs daily had a 20% LOWER risk of developing ASCVD compared to non-climbers.

The study also found that consistently taking the stairs was linked to better overall heart health. Researchers found that those who initially climbed stairs but stopped had a 32% HIGHER risk of developing ASCVD.

So the key takeaway here is: Take the stairs and OFTEN!

It’s understandable if you can’t scale flights of stairs every single day… but aim still to engage in a consistent WALKING routine which also does wonders for your heart health.

And if the opportunity presents itself to take the stairs instead of the elevator—give it a shot!

Be sure to talk to your doctor first before engaging in any new activity—especially aerobic activity that can increase your heart rate.

To smart heart health,

Cory Templeman
Senior Editor, eAlert

Sources:

StudyFinds. “Doing this more than 5 times each day slashes heart disease risk by 20 percent!” https://studyfinds.org/taking-stairs-ascvd-heart-disease/