Stairway to Wellness Heaven

I recently had the honor of participating in the Tunnels to Tower Tower Climb at the Freedom Tower in New York City. The climb honored Capt. Billy Burke and Stephen Siller, true “Super Heroes” who sacrificed their lives on 9/11.

I climbed 102 flights, 2,226 stairs in 20 minutes, 2 seconds. Stair climbing is an outstanding exercise. Here are just a few of the fitness benefits:

• Builds cardio– stair climbing can work wonders for your cardiovascular system. Given the cardio improvements, you’ll find yourself less winded during other exercises.
• Strengthens and tones legs and buttock– Stair climbing will strengthen, tone and firm your thighs, calves, hamstrings and glutes.
• Burns calories– you’ll easily burn 100s of calories.
• Improves conditioning– because you are climbing upward, gravity provides inherent resistance that contributes to improved conditioning.
• Low joint impact– stair climbing has lower impact on knees and joints in comparison to long distance running on concrete.

The great news is you don’t have to climb 102 flights of Freedom Tower to gain the fitness benefits of stair climbing! Here’s how you do it:

1. Find stairs– you can use the stairs in your office and/or apartment building. They also have stairs at some parks and forest preserves.
2. Start slow– start with 2-3 flights. Then add 1 flight every week.
3. Frequency– make stair climbing a part of your regular workout by climbing stairs 2-3 times per week. You can climb the stairs to/from the office/apartment instead of taking the elevator. Alternatively, you can climb the stairs in your office building during lunch.

Embedding stair climbing into your workout will burn calories, tone your body and improve overall conditioning like never before!

For optimal fitness results, balance exercise with healthy nutrition and high quality sleep.

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