The Best Workout You're Not Doing!

Want to guzzle calories, tone your bum and boost your health? It’s time to start taking the stairs!

- Mary Comber

Do you go for it at the gym-only to wait for the lift when you get back to the office? Or maybe you regularly ride the escalators on your daily commute? It’s time for a rethink! Skipping the stairs means you’re missing out on a seriously good workout, and one of the easiest ways to beat the accumulated effects of a sedentary lifestyle. In fact, shunning the lift and walking your way up to the next floor could even extend your life.

If you’re not convinced stair climbing is good for you, perhaps this will change your mind. Research shows taking the stairs burns about seven times more energy than hopping into a lift. Surprisingly, per minute, climbing those steps burns even more calories than jogging. And if those stats aren’t enough, two minutes of extra stair climbing a day is enough to stop average middle age weight gain, while seven minutes has been estimated to more than half the risk of a heart attack over 10 years.

BODY BENEFITS