Largely because I’m too busy to do much aerobic exercise, this year I’ve set a rule to which I strictly adhere: elevators do not exist.
I climb (and descend) 8-9 flights of stairs a day on average. I’ve been doing this for two months now. However, it never seems to get any easier, and I sometimes wonder whether these very short bursts of aerobic activity have much effect (other than potentially giving me a heart attack!) in the absence of other aerobic exercise.
I’ve been doing the same for the last 15 years. My legs are stronger and thicker, but I don’t think my aerobic health is any better, and sometimes my knees get a bit sore. Still, I think a little exercise is better than none.
I used to live on the 4th floor (that’s 5th for normal people) - I could go up and down carrying my son’s 15kg stroller. Then I moved to Taiwan where I lived on the ground floor (that’s 1st for normal people, again) - I still walked 5 km a day but never had to take the stairs. When I came back home after a year in Taiwan, those 5 flights felt like 10 even without the pram…
You definately don’t get enough exercise by just taking the stairs but it’s better than nothing. Keep going.
Taking the stairs 8 or 9 times a day is definitely healthier simply because you’re moving significantly more than you would if you took an elevator or escalator. This won’t have the same effect as doing heavy aerobic exercise five times a week, but you could be healthier already without knowing it. For starters, you’re probably becoming way less lazy than the rest of us elevator people. Also, when people incorporate exercise into their everyday habits, their modes of thinking can suddenly shift: exercise is suddenly just a part of life - not something reserved for health clubs or parks.
I live on Yangmingshan and there’s this thing called the “500 steps” (actually 480ish someone told me). I walk down that a lot and my legs are definitely stronger. Walking up is an absolute killer–takes twice as long and gets the aerobics. I try to do it twice a week but haven’t done it… um… maybe three weeks?
When I first came here my shins hurt because where I lived in the States is so flat. So I’d keep taking the steps as long as you can. But you made need a more extended workout to get the aerobic effect?
Walking up stairs is more likely anaerobic, not aerobic. You need to work both capacities. But if you just do isolated stairs every now and now you won’t see much difference. Try doing sets of stairs for 10 minutes 2x a week (after a little warmup) and you will see a marked improvement. You will fly up those stairs when you do them in isolation.
When I lived in Taiwan there were 6 flights of stairs in my apartment building, and in order to get aerobic exercise I ran them for 15 to 25 minutes 3-5 times a week. Probably not the same as climbing stairs??? Anyway, I was fitter. I noticed that when I wanted to run across a street - you know to avoid getting hit by a scooter or something - I was much quicker - I felt like I was “lifting off” - like a rocket or something. I think what I’m trying to say, is that kind of training does something for quick starts. At the lower intensity of “just” climbing, I think you’re building up those same muscles - and getting some aerobic exercise too.
I quit smoking and gained 4 kilograms. I moved a several months back from a townhouse on the third floor with three more floors to climb. I was up and down those stairs everyday. I gained 4 more kilograms after the move to a building with an elevator. I just got a personal trainer a month ago and things are improving. Those stairs helped as it was the only exercise I got each day. Not sure about cardio, but it was burning calories. Climb the stairs, just watch the knees.
Well, take it easy in the knees on the downside. I have lived in my 6 floor walkup for almost two years and sometimes my knees hurt. I don’t do enough actual walking, though, and My bicycle is maybe 2 weeks away.
[quote=“mixedvegetables”]Taking the stairs 8 or 9 times a day is definitely healthier simply because you’re moving significantly more than you would if you took an elevator or escalator. This won’t have the same effect as doing heavy aerobic exercise five times a week, but you could be healthier already without knowing it. For starters, you’re probably becoming way less lazy than the rest of us elevator people. Also, when people incorporate exercise into their everyday habits, their modes of thinking can suddenly shift: exercise is suddenly just a part of life - not something reserved for health clubs or parks.
Keep at it! :taz:[/quote]
Walking down the stairs isn’t really bad for your knees. It’s just that people tend to just “drop” themselves down the stairs, rather than walk, so that definitely impacts the knees.
You should definitely walk all the stairs you encounter. It’d be nice if you got more exercise on top of that… but it’s a start. PLUS, you won’t be lining up for five minutes just to take the escalator up - and you won’t be RUNNING to get on the escalator first!
But actually, regarding people who don’t exercise regularly… people with desk jobs are less fit than people who have jobs not at desks.
