Climbing stairs for a few minutes throughout the day can improve heart health



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Short periods of stairs can improve the health of your heart (Image Representative) & nbsp | & nbspPhoto: & nbspGetty Images

Toronto: A study has shown that climbing stairs for a few minutes at a few intervals of the day can dramatically improve heart health. The research, published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, suggests that virtually anyone can improve their fitness, anywhere and at any time. "The results make it even easier for people to incorporate" exercise snacks "into their day," said Martin Gibala, a professor at McMaster University in Canada.

"Those who work in office towers or who live in buildings can vigorously walk a few steps in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening, knowing that they are training effectively", Gibala said. Previous studies have shown that brief vigorous exercises, or sprint interval training (SIT), are effective in a single session, with a few minutes of recovery between intense bursts, requiring a total engagement of about 10 minutes.

For this study, researchers sought to determine whether SIT snacks or vigorous stair ascents, performed in a single sprint all day, would be sufficient to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, an important marker for health, related to longevity. and cardiovascular disease risk.

A group of sedentary young adults vigorously climbed a stairwell with three flights, three times a day, at one or four hours of rest.
They repeated the protocol three times a week for six weeks. The researchers compared the evolution of their form to a control group that did not exercise.

"We know that sprint interval training works, but we were a bit surprised to see that the approach of stair-climbing was also effective," said Jonathan Little, badistant professor at University of British Columbia in Canada.

"Tightly climbing a few stairs during your coffee break or bathroom during the day seems to be enough to improve the fitness of people who are otherwise sedentary," said Little.

In addition to being in better shape, the stair builders were also stronger than their sedentary counterparts at the end of the study and generated more power during a maximum cycling test .

In the future, researchers hope to study different nibbling protocols during exercises with variable recovery times and their effects on other health-related indicators, such as blood pressure and blood glucose control.

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