Health Tip – Take the stairs and not the elevator at every opportunity

Taking the stairs is an excellent way to prevent the health problems that come with inactivity including obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Athletes have been running up and down stadium steps as part of training for years. Taking the stairs is a great way to get in shape, improve cardiovascular function and strengthen and tone the legs muscles.

Some reasons why it’s better to take the stairs…

• People spend an estimated two-thirds of their waking hours in the workplace. In order to stay healthy, we need to find ways to incorporate physical activity into our workday.
• Daily living activities like climbing the stairs can make a significant contribution to the 30 minutes of exercise we all need...everyday.
• The 30 minutes of physical activity we need for our health can be accumulated a bit at a time or one stairway at a time, spread at intervals throughout the day. Do it your way!
• Physical activities like stair climbing are a great way to cope with job-related stress.