Climbing four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health, according to research presented at EACVI — Best of Imaging 2020, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
“The stairs test is an easy way to check your heart health,” said study author Dr. Jesús Peteiro, a cardiologist at University Hospital A Coruña, Spain. “If it takes you more than one-and-a-half minutes to ascend four flights of stairs, your health is suboptimal, and it would be a good idea to consult a doctor.”
This study was conducted to examine the relationship between a daily activity — i.e. climbing stairs — and the results obtained from exercise testing in a laboratory. “The idea was to find a simple and inexpensive method of assessing heart health,” said Dr. Peteiro. “This can help physicians triage patients for more extensive examinations.”
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I need to find a building that has four flights of stairs!
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Actually, that is one of the benefits of living in a high rise. I climb the stairs up and then ride the elevator down, so I don’t damage my knees. Happy New Year, Paul!
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Happy New Year to you, Tony. Why is going downstairs bad for your knees?
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Thanks, Paul and Happy New Year to you and Jeannie! Regarding stair descending, it is hard on your knees and hips. I wrote a four part post on it and in the process spoke with the American College of Sports Medicine. They told me about it. Check out the posts for more details. https://guysandgoodhealth.com/2014/01/11/stair-climbing-is-good-for-you/
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Wait, no running? I’m so used to running them two at a time, I don’t know how I’d to at actually walking them!
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Good that you can do that. But, don’t make the mistake of judging everyone by your own actions.
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Of course not… I was just referring to the part of the test where they wouldn’t let participants run the stairs.
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Sorry, I misunderstood. I erred.
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No worries, Tony.
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Very useful test, thanks, Tony. I just tried it out on a downtown building and was happy to pass. I think this is a great field test to double-check heart health. I reported my results here: https://bionicoldguy.home.blog/2021/01/07/stair-climbing-test/
I also read your four part series on “stair climbing is good for you” and they were full of good info. I also avoid going down too many stairs, in my case to not impact my artificial hips too much. So If doing lots of flights, I also like to take the elevator down.
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