nibbling a staircase: a simple trick to stay healthy at work: nibbling a staircase

TORONTO: For people who have trouble taking more time to do physical activity after a busy schedule, exercise has become easier and more difficult to avoid. Researchers have shown that a few minutes of the staircase, called "stair nibbling", can improve cardiovascular health at short intervals.

The study showed that practically anyone can improve their physical condition, anywhere and at any time of the day.

"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 apartment buildings can vigorously climb a few steps in the morning, at lunch time and in the evening, knowing that they are safe." train effectively. "

The last study questioned previous studies that showed that short periods of vigorous exercise or sprint interval training (SIT) are effective when done in one session, requiring a total commitment of 10 minutes. about.

As part of this study, researchers sought to determine whether SIT exercise snacks or vigorous stair ascents performed in single sprints throughout the day would be sufficient to improve cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). ).

For the study, a group of sedentary young adults vigorously mounted a stairwell with three flights, three times a day. 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.

The results, published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, showed that although sprint interval training works, but that the nibbling approach on the stairs is effective.

"Tightly climbing a few stairs during your coffee break or bathroom during the day seems to be enough to improve the physical condition of people who are otherwise sedentary," said Jonathan Little, an badistant professor at the University of Toronto. University of British Columbia in Canada.

In addition to being in better shape, the stair builders were also stronger than their sedentary counterparts 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 glycemic control, the team noted. .