I see almost every staircase as a personal challenge, and as a result I love to take the stairs. 
Not only are these brief bits of cardio a great way to burn some extra calories throughout your day, Swiss researchers believe that taking the stairs can prolong your life. Their recent research indicates that taking the stairs regularly can reduce your risk of dying prematurely by 15 percent.
Sixty-nine self-described sedentary hospital workers volunteered for the study and were asked to exclusively use stairs and skip the elevator while at work. Over the course of the 12 week study, the volunteers improved their lung capacity, blood pressure, and cholesterol measurements. Plus they lost weight, and their body fat as well as waist measurements also decreased. The added and most expected bonus of taking the stairs was that their capacity for doing aerobic exercise improved. All this adds up statistically to decreasing the chance of premature death by 15 percent, and to me that is reason enough to take the stairs. How about you?
Patrizia Pepe
by Terry
My-Wardrobe.com
Yeah when it's nasty outside, and even on nice weather days, I run the stairs in my apartment complex. It's a really effective workout- Everytime I get exhausted and am sore the next day, plus it's free! Love this as a workout to mix things up when I get sick of the gym.
1Each time we have a chance to use our bodies, we should use it.
2i hate stairs...
i always get my ass handed to me on a platter when i do them...
..
3I always take the stairs in my building b/c I once got stuck in the elevator and am now completely paranoid about it happening again.
4Luckily, I have developed a weird fear of being in an elevator. Something about the enclosed space and all those people. And what if the cable snaps?? aaaaahhh.
So yeah, stairs for me everytime. lol
5okay, maybe "luckily" was not quite the right word . . .
6i have to agree that sometimes taking the stairs is a better option. i have an elevator in my apt building but i rarely use it unless i have a ton of packages to carry - i much rather take the stairs.
7Oddly it is easier on my knees to go up the stairs rather than down. I take em from the parkade up to my floor at work...
8I heart stairs!
Walking down stairs does make my knees hurt sometimes, but I find that bending my knees more deeply helps. It looks awkward, but it also seems to work my hamstrings more.
9medicgirl - that happens to me too! Not sure what it is, but my knees creak, pop, and sometimes give out.
10I think I'm going to start taking the stairs at work now. I work on the 6th floor and I always usually take the elevator. I bet it'd actually be faster to take the stairs and get some heart benefits out of it!
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