Benefits of Up and Down Stairs
1. Tones the muscles of the legs, buttocks, and backs of the thighs.
2. Keeps hip girdle flexible and in shape.
3. Relieves lower back pain by decompressing the spine which is similar to laying on a beach ball while strengthening your back at the same time.
4. Helps with varicose veins because it stimulates blood flow in the lower extremities.
5. Improves posture because muscles are toned resulting in better alignment of body joints including hips, knees, and ankle which relieves pressure on lower back discs.
6. Paperwork involves hours at desk-upstairs helps keep you limber!
7. The Alexander Technique works well with Up Downstairs exercises as they improve balance and coordination which in turn further enhances the technique.
8. Strengthens the cardiovascular system through increased blood circulation, oxygen intake, even respiration.
9. Tones up muscles to get rid of cellulite on thighs, buttocks, hips, and stomachs.
10. All these benefits work wonders for pregnant women to show an increase in comfort during pregnancy; reduce leg cramps; ease back pain; tone pelvic floor muscles; strengthen abdominal muscles; protecting or improve posture.
HOW TO DO IT:
Walk up and down the stairs counting every step (it should be 12 steps), while inhaling on one step exhaling on the next (counting both steps as one) = 1 repetition. -Repeat this cycle 4 times for beginners; 6 times for intermediate; 8 times for advanced. -You can do this exercise twice a day morning and evening.
Stretch before and after exercising:
Do this exercise for at least 3 weeks to notice an improvement in your cellulite problem. It is best to consult some professional trainers who can advise you on any specific problems or if you have any health issues that might interfere with the upstairs/downstairs exercises.
ALTERNATE EXERCISE:
Walk down the stairs slowly counting every step (it should be 12 steps), while inhaling on one step exhaling on the next (counting both steps as one) = 1 repetition. -Repeat this cycle 4 times for beginners; 6 times for intermediate; 8 times for advanced. -You can do this exercise twice a day morning and evening.
Have a healthy, balanced diet.
Limit your intake of salt and sugars. These elements cause fluid retention which results in the appearance of cellulite. To reduce your sugar intake try using natural sweeteners such as Stevia instead of sugar or other artificial sweeteners.
Drink at least 10 glasses of pure water per day as this can help flush toxins from your body allowing it to work efficiently and effectively, giving you healthier skin and muscles that may reduce chances of developing cellulite to a certain extent.
Exercise daily but take long walks several times a week as this will increase circulation and speed up fat breakdown thereby toning up muscles to get rid of cellulite.
Be sure to sleep at least 8 hours a day, this is an important part of the daily routine which helps you stay fit and healthy while increasing energy levels and allowing your body to keep in balance with all the other activities you do throughout the day even though it is not exercising.
Reduce stress because we all know how harmful it is for our mental and physical health; therefore try some relaxing exercises such as yoga, deep breathing, meditation, etc. Also, get rid of toxins that cause stress such as smoking or drinking too much alcohol.
Avoid crash dieting if it affects your health in any way instead aim for small changes every week by incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables into your regular diet rather than rich foods; avoid taking too much coffee; reduce your portions of food, etc.
Running up and downstairs at home:
The purpose of this project is to run up & downstairs at home/work/gym without the need for an expensive treadmill. I recently moved house and had no workout equipment available.
For some people, running on the spot in front of their TV would suffice, but not me! I wanted a full-on cardiovascular workout that would leave me sweating. Running up & down flights of stairs did just that!
If you have access to your own home gym you can even jump onto a treadmill every now and then for variety. All I’m doing is running 8 times up & down my staircase (12 steps). You could do more or less depending on fitness level or time constraints. By doing this 3-4 times/week for a month I am seeing fantastic results.
Providing you are eating healthily I would expect to see some great results in your legs (thighs, butt & calves). This is the cheapest solution available and it has massive benefits over normal cardio workouts. You get an intense workout with no time wasted. Plus, running upstairs uses more of your body than jogging on the spot.
A few tips:
1) Don’t start off too quickly if you’re unfit – take it easy for the first few sessions until you’re used to the activity.
2) Wear proper running shoes or sports shoes if possible (although barefoot/trainers/flip-flops will suffice). If you don’t have any footwear try running on the spot for a few minutes to warm up.
3) Stretch before and after your workout. Be sensible, don’t overstretch or pull a muscle.
4) Have a shower straight after your workout so you cool down properly and remove sweat from your face etc. Also, listen to how your body is feeling – if it hurts stop! Never push yourself too far as that’s when injuries happen.
5) Relax as much as possible during exercise & do something nice afterward like taking a bath or reading/watching TV (a reward for your effort).
6) Mix up your running speed – run fast some days and slow some days depending on what feels right by using this article as reference: Optimum Running Speed Table
7) As with all exercises, try to avoid injury by warming up properly!
8) If you use stairs at work or when out & about it makes sense to carry this cardio workout over. Just run up & down the stairs in the same way for improved fitness and weight loss.
Walking up and downstairs to lose weight:
Walking up and downstairs is another great way to lose weight. I have been doing this with all my excess weight in the background when watching TV, etc. If you walk slowly enough on an incline it feels like running! I use 1-2 pound hand weights (dumbbells) for better upper-body toning/strengthening.
The main difference between walking upstairs and running is that it gives your joints a rest as you will naturally walk downstairs afterward (instead of jumping). Do try to vary the pace though – fast & slow, five minutes each works well for me, but everyone’s different.
Other than that, the basics are very similar to jogging except that there’s no impact or pounding on your joints (knees, hips, ankles & feet). Walking up and downstairs is much easier on your body than jogging.
Disadvantages of climbing stairs:
The main downside is that you can’t do this activity for sustained periods of time. If you’re a smoker, climbing stairs would be a good alternative to going outside for a smoke break as it’s got many health benefits and reduces the likelihood of contracting lung cancer by 50%.
I’d advise not doing this during your lunchtimes as that would defeat the point – instead, use your breaks or find somewhere suitable at work (e.g.: stairwell) where you can climb up & down frequently throughout the day.
In addition, instead of using an escalator/lift at home/work make sure you climb up & down those stairs as often as possible. There are no excuses really – You don’t have to go running across town just to exercise – why not try this for a change and see if your legs/buttocks don’t start looking better. You can burn up to 600 calories per hour, so it’s great exercise too.
Does climbing stairs help lose belly fat:
Yes, it does. It’s not the best workout to lose belly fat, but it can help slightly. Belly fat is usually caused by eating lots of fattening foods and doing little exercise, so you need to change your diet in addition to exercising (running/stairs) more frequently.
How many calories do you burn running stairs:
Depending on how fast you run upstairs will vary the number of calories burned. If you are running at a six-minute mile pace then around 900 calories are being burned per hour. With this being said even walking upstairs is better than none at all!