Include Stair Climbing In Your Fitness Routine With These Ten Exercise Tips

Stair climbing is a good lower body workout and is also aerobically beneficial. It's also something that most of us do on a regular basis, so there isn't a steep learning curve. But, in order to reap the benefits, it's still important to follow some precautions and prepare.

1. Talk to your doctor. As with any exercise program, it is essential to make sure there isn't some underlying reason not to participate. Stair climbing can be very strenuous; exercise extra caution if you suffer from knee problems, arthritis or a heart or lung condition.

2. Let someone know where you are going. This is especially important in the early stages. If you have a problem or a fall, you don't want to be laying, unfound, in a stairwell.

3. Start slowly. Again, stair climbing can be quite strenuous. Start with a couple of flights at a time; take the elevator the rest of the way. Even that can have good benefits. Studies show that climbing just two flights of stairs a day can lead to a 6 pound weight loss over the course of a year. Add more as your condition improves.

4. Inspect the stairs first. Especially if you have a regular place to climb stairs, like an office building where you work, you want to make sure it is safe. Slippery stairs, loose rugs and the like can trip you or cause other injuries. Make sure you aren't putting yourself at risk.

5. Use the handrails - but only to steady yourself. You want to be safe and avoid falls, but don't use the handrails to drag yourself up the stairs. This puts an abnormal strain on your body and can end up causing you harm. Let the big muscles in your lower body do the work.

6. Work up to 30 minutes per day. It is recommended that we get 30 minutes of exercise per day, but it doesn't all have to be in one chunk. If you take the stairs at every opportunity, you can probably work up to that amount of time throughout the day. Sound like more time than you can spare? Try timing the amount of time you spend waiting for and riding the elevator. You might be surprised.

7. Enlist your co-workers to join you. Not only will you be helping them to better fitness, the added support may help you stick with the activity.

8. Bring water with you. As with any physical activity, proper hydration is a must. Having a bottle of water to sip from as you climb the flights can help prevent dehydration.

9. Use your lunch break for added activity. If you find that you are having a hard time including enough activity, try using a portion of your breaks to go up and down a few flights of stairs. Remember that every two flights equals 6 pounds a year, so those little jaunts really add up. Also, physical activity is mentally refreshing, which will help you when you get back to your desk.

10. Don't forget to warm up and cool down. Important in any activity, you can gradually increase and decrease your activity levels by starting and ending with slow measured steps. Stretching is also a good idea.

Stair climbing is wonderful exercise. Using a little common sense and ingenuity, you may find that it is a wonderful way to add physical activity to your day without a huge outlay of time or money.