Taking the Stairs is a Great Weight Loss Tip

Fitness 9 to 5: Easy Exercises for the Working Week

There are lots of ways to lose some weight and improve fitness at the same time. Some methods are commonly used, such as swimming, running, working out at the gym etc. Others are not so obvious, yet can be immensely effective when done regularly. One of these weight loss tips is to take the stairs whenever the opportunity presents itself. So here’s a look at taking the stairs and how you can turn this mundane task into a great way to lose weight.

Generally, people who work in offices tend to either work on a higher floor in their building or need to visit offices on different floors to their own during the course of the working day. Here is an excellent opportunity to turn a chore into a mini fitness routine that you can do every day. Instead of taking the elevator as so many often do, even when it means going up or down only one or two floors, take the stairs! Of course, we’re not suggesting that if you work on something like the twentieth floor that you should do the equivalent of scaling a mountain every day! But you could get out of the elevator two or three floors early and take the stairs the rest of the way. At first you’ll be a little out of breath, but if you start doing it every day, you’ll find that before you know it, you’ll be bounding up those stairs two at a time and feeling great.

The same goes for when you are at home, assuming you live in a house that has a flight of stairs of course. Instead of ambling painfully slowly over each step, change your pace and run up those stairs! The more you do it, the fitter you’ll become and your weight will start to drop off.

The reason running up and down stairs is such a great form of exercise is that it is cardio-vascular in nature, similar to aerobic exercises. The action forces you to use the large muscles of your legs to propel your body up or down the steep incline of the flight of steps. This makes your heart race and your breathing rate increase as your body demands a fast hit of energy to perform the strenuous task. The more often you do this and for longer, the more energy your body will use, which is taken from the level of blood sugar, depleting it and forcing your body to replace it from its store of fat in order for your muscles to continue working hard.

This not only leads to weight loss but also to a toning of the leg, buttock and torso muscles, meaning you’ll begin to look better in nice clothes. All in all, you’ll start to view those stairs in a whole new light now that you know this neat weight loss tip under your belt.

May 27, 2010 | Filed Under Lose Weight