Take the Stairs
Here we are again with another of my 100 weight loss tips. This post is article number 14 in this massive series providing you with another great tip to help you lose weight.
This post looks at a really simple form of exercise that you can do for free and it's not only easy, but when you get into a routine of doing this always, you will be amazed at the results it can bring.
And it doesn't involve getting any special fitness DVD or punish yourself to a Jillian Michaels style workout either!
Taking The Stairs Can Help You Lose Weight
It's pretty obvious, I know. But while taking the stairs used to be something everyone did before the arrival of an elevator in every building, these days far too many people avoid the stairs and take the elevator, even if it's only one floor up or down. Now clearly that is silly, unless you have a physical problem that prevents you from using the stairs.
How lazy is it to ride one floor in an elevator?
Very lazy and it's a contributing factor to people becoming overweight. Okay, it may be a small contributing factor. But when you have become overweight and want to do something about it, such as reversing the trend and getting back to your ideal weight, then every small thing that you can do to help it along is a good thing.
Well, if one of those things is taking the stairs instead of being lazy and taking the elevator for only one or two floors, then do it! If you really want to make a difference, run up and down the stairs, don't just walk!
Run Up Those Stairs
Running up a flight of stairs burns calories because you are forcing your leg muscles to work hard to push your body up a steep incline. It gets your heart racing and forces you to breathe harder.
That all contributes to sending some of your blood sugar to those muscles for energy and when you do it as a regular exercise or a minor daily workout, the muscles strengthen and use more energy.
When I worked for a corporate company many moons ago, I used to work on the fourth floor and stopped taking the elevator when I realized I was getting overweight. I started by climbing the stairs at a fast walk and graduated to running all the way up.
Not just every day, but I was actually up and down those stairs several times every day because I was always going to or from meetings on different floors as well as having to go all the way to the ground floor to the canteen for coffee! It wasn't long before I could run all the way from ground floor to fourth floor and walk into my office without being out of breath. Consequently, that particular strategy helped me to lose the eight pounds I needed to get back to my correct weight.
The upshot of that particular exercise meant my legs were much stronger, my waist also became slimmer and I had a great looking backside (as the girls often remarked on when they thought I wasn't listening)! It works the same way for a woman, too by the way...
Still want to take that elevator?
100 Weight Loss Tips number 13 follows in the next post!
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Posted on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 in Top 100 Weight Loss Tips | 2 Comments
2 thoughts on "Take the Stairs"
Mach says:
I often make a point of taking the stairs whenever there is an alternative such as an elevator. I see perfectly healthy people get into an elevator to go up one flight of stairs and it makes me wonder why they do it. Perhaps using an elevator has become ingrained into their brains and they simply don't see the healthier alternative.
SuperSonic says:
I agree that taking the stairs is an excellent way to lose weight and keep the body in a good state of health. If more people did this instead of using the lazy elevators, there would be fewer heart patients in hospitals, I think! Thank you for this inspiring article