A New Way to Lose Weight, Make Stair Climbing Your Daily Exercise

If you’re looking for a new way to lose weight, stair climbing might be your answer. Research has shown that this form of exercise is not only accessible but also more effective than walking on level ground for burning calories. Lauri van Houten, vice president of the International Skyrunning Federation, emphasizes that stair climbing gets you fit faster and consumes more calories.

Stair climbing burns approximately 20 times more calories than walking on flat surfaces. Even descending stairs can burn five times more calories due to the effort required to control your descent. This makes stair climbing an attractive option for anyone trying to shed pounds.

Dr. Alberto Minetti, a physiologist at the University of Milan, points out that moving vertically is significantly more energy-consuming than moving horizontally. He notes, “To move 1 kilogram of body mass vertically on stairs, it’s 10 calories; that’s 20 times the calories moving vertically rather than horizontally.”

Stair climbing is an exercise that everyone can do, with stairs readily available in homes, offices, and public spaces. The benefits extend beyond calorie burning; it improves cardiovascular health and muscle strength without putting excessive strain on joints, making it a suitable alternative for those who find running challenging.

Suzy Walsham, a champion in stair climbing, highlights that this exercise offers a lot of “bang for your buck.” With minimal time investment, anyone can incorporate stair climbing into their daily routine, whether by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or adding a few flights at home.

Yuri Yoshizumi, the reigning women’s champion of the Stairclimbing World Championships, echoes this sentiment, stating that stair climbing is an easy sport for beginners and beneficial for cardiovascular fitness.