We are delighted to have formed a new charity partnership with Heart Research UK, which funds pioneering research into the prevention, treatment and cure of heart disease.
To kick things off, here are their tips to fit more activity into your working day by encouraging you to take the stairs.
- Don’t just stand on escalators, start a step revolution by walking up or better still, use the stairs instead whenever possible.
- Ditch the lift up to the office in favour of the stairs. If your office is on the top floor start by getting out of the lift part way up and use the stairs the rest of the way to build your stamina. Challenge yourself one floor at a time and you’ll soon be taking stair climbing in your stride.
- Don’t automatically call or email colleagues across the office or on another floor, make the effort to get up and speak to them in person as a personal approach is great for building healthy working relationships.
- Use the toilets on a different floor for regular active breaks away from your desk.
Still not convinced? Here are 6 reasons why stair-climbing is beneficial not only for your heart but for overall health:
1. Toning – stair climbing uses the muscles in your bum, tum, thighs and hips making it a good all-rounder for toning the lower body.
2. Strong bones – because you’re working against gravity, stair climbing is a weight-bearing activity, good for helping to improve bone density and stave off age-related bone conditions like osteoporosis.
3. Manage weight – taking the stairs uses much more energy than walking on the flat. Every 10 stairs you climb will burn the calorie equivalent of about 38 steps on ground level, helping you to shed extra pounds.
4. Strength and power – stair climbing targets the same muscles as squats and lunges improving lower body power, particularly important as we get older to keep sarcopenia (age related muscle wastage), at bay.
5. Cardiovascular fitness – climbing the stairs makes you breathe more deeply and increases your heart rate improving blood flow and oxygen delivery around the body. Short bursts of vigorous activity can be more effective at improving aerobic fitness than some longer duration exercise programmes.
6. Metabolism – doing more exercise and gaining muscle mass will in turn increase your metabolism as muscle cells use more energy than fat cells even at rest
For more information check out Heart Research UK’s website
