There are several popular and effective exercises such as PT and Pilates. But workouts that cost nothing at all are just a few of them. Nowadays, more and more people are choosing stairs instead of elevators in apartments and companies. It’s about taking a little time to get the effect of your workout. Climbing stairs is popular these days. It is very good for health, such as strengthening the cardiopulmonary function and strengthening the lower body, but there are people who should avoid climbing stairs.
Advantages of climbing stairs
One study found that climbing up and down 100 steps a day reduced the mortality rate by 20%. A research team at Bellamin University in the United States analyzed the daily life of 6,000 adults and found that just climbing the stairs every day can have similar effects to those who exercise hard. It was effective in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia. As the respiratory rate increases naturally, the heart and lung function are strengthened.
Climbing stairs is a full-body exercise and consumes 1.5 times more energy than walking on flat ground. Every time you climb the stairs, you use a lot of your thigh muscles, which naturally strengthens your lower body muscles. As you keep repeating the movement of raising your feet to a higher place, your endurance and sense of balance will improve.
As muscle mass increases, your basal metabolic rate increases. The more calories you burn, the more effective your diet will be. Model and broadcaster Han Hye-jin recommended climbing stairs as her best exercise. In 2019, she appeared on JTBC2’s ‘Hogu’s Chart’, and she recommended that “I lose a lot of weight by climbing the stairs.” However, when asked how high she had to go up, she said, “You have to go up to the 80th floor to be an exercise,” she said.
who should avoid climbing stairs
However, there are some people who cannot climb stairs. For example, people with severe arthritis. If you have knee pain, repeated climbing stairs can have an adverse effect on your health. This is because the load on the knee is 3 times your body weight when going up the stairs and 5 times your body weight when going down. In particular, the more overweight, the greater the knee bending angle, the greater the knee load. People with weak knee cartilage and degenerative arthritis are also not good at climbing stairs.
In addition, heart disease patients and elderly people with poor balance are at risk of worsening chronic diseases or falling. It is better to walk on flat ground rather than going up the stairs, and always hold onto the handrail when climbing stairs. As postmenopausal women have weak joints, they first build up her strength and then challenge to climb stairs.
To avoid knee pain, step only in front of the sole of the foot when climbing stairs. Only half of the sole of the foot touches the stairs. At this time, the center of gravity of the body should be slightly forward and push up the rear knee to receive propulsion. When going down, use the elevator whenever possible.
Especially in postmenopausal women, the hormone secretion decreases, making the joints more vulnerable. It is important to build muscle strength before climbing stairs. Building muscles and then climbing stairs is the secret to good knee health.