It’s one of those clichés we hear time and time again: take the stairs to help you lose weight.
And, while there’s not denying that incorporating more exercise into your day probably will likely help with weight management, new research has just revealed another important health reason why you should make the effort.
Particularly if you’ve already been through the menopause…
New research published in The North American Menopause Society’s (NAMS) journal, Menopause, has shown that stair climbing may help lower blood pressure and build leg strength, especially in postmenopausal women with oestrogen deficiencies, who may be more susceptible to vascular and muscle issues.
The team believe that stair climbing could be the perfect workout for women wishing to combine aerobic and resistance exercise in order to improve fitness and strength without having to leave the house or pay gym fees.
In the study, postmenopausal women suffering from hypertension trained four days a week by climbing 192 steps two to five times per day, which led to reductions in their arterial stiffness and blood pressure as well as an increase in leg strength.
‘This study demonstrates how simple lifestyle interventions such as stair climbing can be effective in preventing or reducing the negative effects of menopause and age on the vascular system and leg muscles of postmenopausal women with hypertension,’ said NAMS executive director Dr JoAnn Pinkerton in a release.
So, there you have it, it really could be worth taking the stairs…
