Burning more calories than running, strengthening the heart, and increasing feelings of happiness .. The benefits of climbing stairs and what it may reveal about the health of your heart

 

If you are one of the people who hate climbing stairs, that is normal, because a person by nature does not like strenuous things, but did you know that climbing stairs is an important exercise for the body and has more benefits than running or walking?

Climbing the stairs ... a strenuous but beneficial exercise

Stair climbing exercise has many benefits, not only strengthening muscles and burning calories, but also strengthening the heart and improving lung health.

According to the Run Society website , people who tend to do stair climbing exercises get more benefits from walking and running, because the last two exercises move the body in a horizontal pattern.

While climbing stairs, the leg muscles are forced to repeatedly resist gravity and move almost vertically, thus increasing the effort exerted in the lower part of the body.

Other than that, conducting this exercise is not difficult, as drawers are available everywhere and free of charge in office buildings, your home building, or the stairs of public places.

Benefits of climbing stairs

Stair climbing exercises can take care of your physical and mental health at the same time, such as strengthening the heart, relieving joint pain and increasing your happiness!

2 times more calories burned from running and 3 times more from walking

If you decide to start taking stair climbing exercises, you should know this useful information: climbing stairs burns twice the amount of fat compared to running and 3 times as much as walking.

During one hour of ascending, during which you will be able to burn approximately 1000 calories, for every step you take you will burn about 0.17 calories, but if you go down the stairs, you will burn an average of 0.05 calories in one step.

But you also have to know that your weight plays an important role in the burning process, so the heavier you are, the more calories you burn.

Strengthen the heart and improve lung health

Stair climbing exercise can help strengthen the heart and improve lung health, as it allows you to breathe in more fresh air and thus replenish the muscle cells of the oxygen-rich blood.

Over time, the exercise will increase your heart and lung function, thus improving your endurance overall.

And according to Live Strong , a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism found that just a few minutes of climbing stairs at short intervals throughout the day can significantly boost cardiovascular health.

Boost bone and joint immunity and increase muscle strength

Stair climbing exercises are not only aimed at building strong and agile leg muscles, but they will also strengthen the hamstrings, increase bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis in the future.

In one study conducted by Duke University in Carolina, USA, climbing stairs reduced arterial stiffness in postmenopausal women with high blood pressure in the second stage.

Reduces risks of diabetes, high blood pressure and strengthens immunity

Stair climbing exercise can also improve your overall health by reducing the risk of colon cancer, high blood pressure, and more, in addition to strengthening your immune system.

Moreover, doing stair climbing exercises can reduce the risk of developing chronic health problems with type 2 diabetes.

Climbing stairs can also improve the amount of good cholesterol in the blood.

It makes us feel happy

After learning about the physical benefits of climbing the stairs, it is not surprising that this physical activity can improve our mental health also by increasing our feelings of happiness.

According to the Tru Weight website , climbing stairs prompts our bodies to produce a greater amount of the hormone endorphins produced by the pituitary gland for two reasons, the first is to increase feelings of happiness, and the second to reduce our pain.

Disadvantages of climbing stairs

Although climbing stairs is a great cardio exercise, it may not be suitable for all people due to the following reasons:

Climbing stairs exercises your leg muscles, but it does not help in strengthening other muscles in the body.

For people with problems with the bones or the soft tissues of the knees, climbing stairs may cause more injuries.

If you are overweight or have knee problems you should pay attention.

How to start climbing stairs to exercise? 

Experts recommend that when you start taking stairs, you should start slowly as follows:

Start with a 10-minute session 3 times a week 

When you first start climbing stairs, pay attention to any pain you might feel in the knees, back, hips, or ankles.

Over time, climb the stairs for up to 30 minutes

Begin your stair climbing routine by
warming up first for 5 to 10 minutes.

Although walking slowly up and down the stairs will provide the necessary warm-up, you should simply walk or do some jumping exercises to get ready.

The stair climbing exercise will reveal a lot about your heart

According to the Health Line , researchers say the speed at which a person can climb 4 floors of a building may be an indicator of their heart health.

The researchers add that if a person was able to climb 4 floors within one and a half minutes, this is an indication that the heart health is very good.

Dr. Jesus Petero, a doctor specializing in cardiology, said: "Climbing the stairs is an easy way to check the health of your heart. If it takes more than a minute and a half to go up 4 floors, this means that your health is sub-optimal and it would be good to consult a doctor."