Daily Sunshine

January 9 – National Take the Stairs Day

Continuing with our health theme from yesterday’s “Get Out for a Walk,” today we are celebrating National Take the Stairs Day.  Though the origin of this national holiday is a bit obscure, the purpose is quite clear, to get those people who are capable to make the healthy choice and skip elevators and escalators for stairs!  Some people do this for the entire month of January, others choose specific days of the week. This holiday, for example is set for the second Wednesday of every January, and is celebrated in office buildings and organizations throughout the country with fun challenges for employees, students, and residents.  Don’t have an organization? Do it with friends, or just make it a personal goal!

So what are the benefits of taking the stairs?  Number one is health! While daily exercise is indeed important, changing your general routine to be overall more active is a great way to improve your overall health.  One major way to do this is to choose the stairs!

According to StepJockey: Stair climbing is highly recommended for people of all ages and stages for its major health benefits.

  • Climbing just eight flights of stairs a day lowers average early mortality risk by 33%
  • Seven minutes stair climbing a day can halve the risk of heart attack over 10 years
  • Just two minutes extra stair climbing a day is enough to stop average middle age weight gain

Also stair climbing is considered a cardiovascular activity and is classified as a vigorous form of exercise.  It can even burn more calories per minute than jogging! An individual who weighs 150 pounds will burn 48 calories in 10 minutes of stair climbing.  That’s far better than the 18 calories they’d burn just standing on an elevator.

So today and perhaps every day if you’re up to the challenge – when you have a choice between stairs and an elevator, consider the health benefits and take the stairs!

Quote of the Day:

“My soul can find no staircase to Heaven unless it be through Earth’s loveliness.”
~Michelangelo

Song of the Day:

Keep Your Head Up by Ben Howard

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *