You’ve probably heard before that it’s a good idea to take the stairs whenever you can, just to get a little more movement into your day. But given how easy it is to hop on an elevator, this is a life hack many of us don’t follow. Now, there’s a new scientific data to encourage you to hit the stairs: It may extend your life.
A new meta-analysis presented at a European Society of Cardiology conference found that those who regularly took the stairs had about a 39 percent lower likelihood of death from heart disease, compared to those who didn’t climb stairs. They also had a 24 percent lower risk of dying from any cause.
The study, which analyzed data from about 480,000 people between their mid-30s to mid-80s, also found that stair climbers had a lower risk of heart attacks and stroke.
“If you have the choice of taking the stairs or the lift, go for the stairs as it will help your heart,” study author Sophie Paddock, MBBS, of the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Foundation Trust, said in a press release. “Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable target to integrate into daily routines.”
Less than half of adults in the U.S. get the recommended amount of exercise, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the country. Stair climbing is an easy way to add a little more activity to your day.
Beth Lewis recently talked up the perks of taking the stairs in a podcast taping with Gabby Reece at the SHE Media Co-Lab at South by Southwest. “You do need a foundation,” she said. “But I think that’s where a lot of the aerobic training comes in you get so much benefit from walking and climbing stairs.”
Lewis pointed out that “so many of us don’t climb stairs anymore. But climbing stairs increases your neuromuscular control. It helps you maintain muscle mass, which is so huge, and it helps give you that cardiovascular kind of foundation.”
How much stair climbing is helpful?
A 2021 study of more than 280,000 people found that climbing six to 10 flights a day was linked to a lower risk of death. Another study found that climbing more than five flights a day reduced the risk of heart disease by 20 percent, so logging at least five flights of stairs a day seems to be the most beneficial.
If you’re not currently a stair climber, you can see the impact of taking on this habit fairly fast. A review of 24 research studies published in February found that you can start to see results in as little as four weeks. The study participants also saw boosts in their blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.
How to add stair climbing to your routine
You have a few options when it comes to adding stairs to your daily routine. If you work in a multi-story office building, you can simply take the stairs every time you go up and down, and even do some stairs when you have a break. If you have stairs at home, you can also do a few rounds daily to make sure you’re getting it in. And, if you want to level up even more, you can try using a stair climber at the gym to really lean into this form of exercise.
Overall, Paddock said it’s good to take the stairs when you can. “Based on these results, we would encourage people to incorporate stair climbing into their day-to-day lives,” Paddock said. “Our study suggested that the more stairs climbed, the greater the benefits, but this needs to be confirmed. So, whether at work, home, or elsewhere, take the stairs.”