Don’t miss out on any opportunity to strengthen your heart and potentially extend your life.
Based on data from 480,000 people it was found that those who regularly climb stairs are 39 per cent less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke and 24 per cent less likely to die from any cause! That was the conclusion of a recent review presented at a conference of the European Society of Cardiology.
Surprisingly perhaps, it is even more beneficial walking DOWN stairs! In a 2017 study at the Edith Cowan University in Australia, overweight women were asked to either take a lift to the sixth floor and then walk down, or walk up and then take the lift down, twice each week. After a fortnight those who walked down saw the biggest benefits in balance, bone strength and blood pressure. This is probably the result of muscles having to work harder to stop you falling!
