5 Flights a Day

We’re not talking about airline flights or flights of craft beer; this article focuses on how walking up at least five flights of stairs every day can lower your heart disease risk. With all the talk about walking 10,000 steps per day, add walking up stairs to your list of must-do’s for a healthy heart.
Let’s see what new research says about the power of stair climbing.

Researchers evaluated stair climbing and its relationship to heart health among a population of more than 450,000 adults over a 12+-year period. Climbing more stairs on a daily basis reduced cardiovascular disease risk (coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke or acute complications), particularly among people with a low risk of disease. However, even among higher-risk individuals, stair climbing appeared to effectively offset the increased risk.

Compared with people who reported no stair climbing at baseline (the start of the study window), cardiovascular disease risks were lower for people climbing 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, and 21 or more flights of stairs per day. The more flights of stairs climbed, the greater the risk reduction. Findings appear in the research journal Atherosclerosis. Overall, individuals who climbed at least five flights of stairs daily (approximately 50 steps) had a 20% risk reduction compared with non-stair climbers.

The good news is that not only is stair climbing a great way to diversify your physical activity, but it’s also as easy as walking to accomplish, at least in terms of accessibility. In fact, if you live in a multi-story home or work in a multi-story building, you can walk up five or more flights of stairs every day without any planning whatsoever. Wherever you go, find ways to take stairs if available, particularly if standing in an elevator (and not getting any exercise) is the alternative. Your heart will thank you for it.