Fitness
5 ways climbing stairs can improve your heart health
Climbing stairs is one of the most inexpensive, convenient and effective ways to keep fit. It is especially a heart-healthy exercise as it can not only improve cardiorespiratory fitness but can also indicate if anything is wrong with your heart. In some ways, climbing stairs is more effect than walking on plain ground and also provides workout to your lower body which may be deprived of any movement due to sedentary lifestyle of people. Stair climbing is also good for lowering high blood pressure. (Also read: Heart attacks while on treadmills: 10 reasons why this may happen, according to doctors)
According to the journal of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, just half-n-hour of stair-climbing a week, broken up in 10-minute sessions three times a week, can greatly improve cardiorespiratory fitness. There are studies that prove people who can climb 4 consecutive flights of stairs in less than 1 minute have good cardiovascular health. On the other hand, if you take more than 1 minute 30 seconds to climb 4 flights of stairs, it could indicate cardiovascular disease.
Taking the stairs instead of elevators is a simple yet effective way to improve your heart health. According to Dr Jayati Rakhit, Founder and Clinical Director at Ohio Hospital in Newtown, Kolkata, here are five ways this choice can have a positive impact on your cardiovascular well-being:
5 ways taking stairs can improve your heart health
- Enhanced cardiovascular fitness
Climbing stairs is a cardiovascular exercise that engages multiple muscle groups, including the legs and core. Regular stair climbing elevates your heart rate, promoting better cardiovascular fitness. Over time, this can lead to a stronger heart that pumps blood more efficiently and reduces the risk of heart disease.
2. Calorie burning and weight management
Opting for the stairs can help you burn calories, aiding in weight management and reducing the risk of obesity, a major contributor to heart problems. Climbing stairs engages larger muscle groups, which can burn more calories than taking the elevator. Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for heart health.
3. Improved blood circulation
Stair climbing promotes better blood circulation throughout your body. As you climb, your heart pumps more blood, delivering oxygen and nutrients to your muscles and organs. This improved circulation can reduce the risk of blood clots, atherosclerosis, and hypertension, all of which can contribute to heart disease.
4. Lowered cholesterol levels
Regular physical activity, such as taking the stairs, can help raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often referred to as ‘good’ cholesterol. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol can reduce the build-up of ‘bad’ low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in your arteries. This lowers the risk of plaque formation and keeps your arteries clear and healthy.
5. Stress reduction
Climbing stairs can also serve as a stress-reliever. Physical activity triggers the release of endorphins, natural mood enhancers that reduce stress and anxiety. Chronic stress is linked to heart disease, so managing stress through regular stair climbing can have a protective effect on your heart.
Incorporating this simple change into your daily routine can contribute significantly to a healthier heart and a reduced risk of heart disease. So, the next time you’re faced with the choice between stairs and an elevator, consider taking the stairs for the sake of your heart’s well-being.
Fitness
The overlooked key to fitness? Strengthening your joints and tendons
Isometric exercises, like planks or lunge holds, require holding a position for an extended period. In these positions, your muscles are firing, but you’re also working on the alignment of the joint and working the tendon to hold that position, says Wulke. Ho adds that while ligaments and joints cannot technically be trained directly like tendons, you can support their health by strengthening the surrounding muscles and encouraging proper movement patterns.
Wulke often programs training days with a mix of goals for her athletes: “high” days for muscle and strength development and “low” days focusing on alignment, isometric holds, and mobility. But most people don’t have enough time to dedicate separate days for joint-specific work. Instead, try integrating these movements into your existing strength training sessions. Consider adding a few sets of isometric holds during your warm-up or as a finisher.
(Is cracking your joints bad for you?)
During your workouts, focus on the eccentric phase of your movements. Slow down and maintain control throughout the exercise to help you ensure proper form. You can also use higher reps and lower weight to reduce the risk of overstressing connective tissues.
Last, Hinson recommends incorporating low-impact exercises such as walking, cycling, Pilates, water aquatics, and yoga. “Taking care of and improving the structures that make the joints stronger and more flexible—it really will pay huge dividends in keeping [people] out of my office and away from injury,” he says.
Fitness
Avoid doing these gym exercises now! Orthopaedic doctor reveals exercises that do more harm; the answers may shock you
Did you know that some popular exercises that we all do at the gym to stay fit and healthy may be doing more harm than good? Dr Venkatesh Movva, an orthopaedic doctor trained in Sports Medicine, sat down with Ranveer Allahbadia for The Ranveer Podcast, where he talked about the exercise one should avoid at the gym. The answers will surprise you.
(Also Read | Ranbir Kapoor ‘decides to clap’ in between his pullups. Guess how Alia Bhatt reacted?)
Avoid doing these gym exercises now!
In the clip shared on The Ranveer Show Podcast Instagram page, with the caption, “Dr Venkatesh on Which Exercises you should Avoid in Gym?”, Ranveer asks Dr Movva which exercises he would recommend gymgoers to avoid as an orthopaedic doctor. He suggested three exercises which are quite popular among gymgoers aiming to get fit, lose weight or stay healthy. According to him, one should not do overhead exercises, deadlifts, and crunches.
Dr Movva stated in the clip, “Overhead, heavy [exercise]. I mean, you can go stretch, but no military press, number one. Number two crunches; avoid them. Number three, deadlifts. (sic)” To this, Ranveer replied, “So, I’d replace the military press because it’s for the anterior delts with just front raises.” As an alternative, Dr Movva suggested people to ‘bend down’ during such exercises. “You can go bend down, raise it [weights], rather than overhead (sic),” he said.
While Ranveer, a fitness enthusiast himself, said that he would replace crunches with planks, Dr Movva suggested ‘planks and bridges’.
Lastly, for why one should avoid deadlifts, an exercise you must have seen many celebrities doing at the gym and fitness influencers pushing their followers to include in their routine, the orthopaedic doctor said, “I see more injuries than benefits with the deadlifts. If you are really well-trained and have a good muscle balance, do it. But if you are trying to get better, that’s one thing you may want to avoid. Because the risk of injury is very high. There are so many other exercises that you can compensate without doing these things.”
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
Fitness
Woman who shed 54 kg shares 7 back and bicep exercises that helped transform her body
Carrying excess fat in your back and arms can cause health concerns for many. Sorting out this issue is important, not just for how you look, but also for your general health and ability to move around easily. If you are on a weight loss journey and looking for exercises to help you target these areas, worry not. We have found seven exercises to help you develop and tone your back and bicep muscles. The routine was shared on Instagram by Meredith Hutson, who shed 120 lbs (approximately 54 kg) naturally. Check out the exercise that helped her transform her body.
(Also Read | Avoid doing these gym exercises now! Orthopaedic doctor reveals exercises that do more harm; the answers may shock you)
Back and bicep workouts to try
In the video, Meredith suggested exercises like the Smith machine or barbell mid-grip rows, outer curl into Zottman curl, cable rear delt fly, straight arm pulldowns, reverse seated rows, cable hammer curls, and cable lat pulldowns. She also demonstrated how to do each exercise in the clip and showcased modifications she added to make the routine effective.
The fitness influencer also had an inspiring message for those trying to lose weight or tone their muscles. She said, “Nobody saw my potential the way that I did…” Check out the exercises.
According to Meredith’s video, each exercise targets different areas in your back and biceps. Talking about the Smith machine or barbell mid-grip rows, she said that the exercise targets your ‘middle back for a balanced development’. For the Zottman curl, she modified the exercise by adding an outer curl, which helped her target the long head of her biceps and forearms.
While the cable rear delt fly exercise (a personal favourite of the fitness coach) targets the real delts, upper back muscles, traps and rhomboid, the straight arm pulldown helps work out the rhomboid and ‘big muscles’ on the back, thus helping create the V shape.
As per Meredith, the reverse seated rows also target the rhomboid along with the traps, biceps, rear delts, and the ‘main muscle in our backs that helps us in doing pulling movements’. Lastly, the cable hammer curls work the entire upper arms ‘focusing on the front of the arms and the outside of the forearm’, while the cable lat pulldowns target ‘lats, rhomboid, traps, and biceps’.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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