For some of us, the idea of running up and down stairs (on purpose!) seems a little strange.
After all, we’ve spent years using escalators, travelators and lifts who do the hard work for us.
But if you are trying to lose weight, and also trying to get your recommended 10,000 steps in per day, it can be a great way to burn calories.
For instance, someone who is 75kg would burn 340 calories by running up and down stairs for 20 minutes.
Running on stairs gets your heart rate pumping, and also tones up the muscles in your legs, thighs, and butt.
You don’t need a gym membership or fancy equipment at home to get fit this way. Stair running is free – and there are stairs everywhere!
If you live in a building with stairs, great. If not you are sure to find some stairs near you somewhere that you can use. Perhaps there are some near the park where your kids play, or some on the way to school or the shops.
Many people find the idea of stair running a little daunting. That’s OK. Like any new exercise, it can be a bit hard at first to get your head in the right frame of mind.
So with this in mind, we’ve put together a guide to get into stair running step by step.
- How to begin: wondering what’s the best way to begin stair running? You guessed it – by running up the stairs. There’s no need to be great at running, or gifted on a cross trainer.
- Warm up: Instead of beginning your workout on the stairs, begin with a short 5 minute walk on solid ground to get you warmed up. Then follow this with 10 star jumps, 10 push ups and 10 burpees. You should be feeling pretty warm and ready to go.
- Start off slowly: like any cardio exercise, it’s not a good idea to go from 0 to 100 flights of stairs in the first session. You need to give your body time to get used to it (and you may feel a little sore the next day after your first few sessions on the stairs). You will be using muscles that you don’t normally do. So after your warm up, take a gentle pace up and down the stairs for 5 minutes.
- Build it up over time: for the first session, after your warm up begin to walk up and down the stairs at a moderate pace for 10 minutes. See how that goes. The next time, take it up to a jog for 10 minutes. From there, you can choose your own increments to build from, for instance 15 mins jogging, then 20 mins jogging. Or you may prefer to do a circuit of 1 min jogging and 1 min walking. Which leads us into…
- Find an intensity that suits you: some of you may be more than comfortable jogging the whole way, where others may need to mix it up between jogging and walking. Some people may be happy to take the stairs two at a time. Either way, you need to find a level that suits you. That’s not to say it needs to be easy – far from it. You should be breathless and find it hard to hold a conversation if you want to be burning calories. Just take care not to push yourself too hard which can lead to injury.
- Wear the right shoes: a pair of properly fitted shoes is probably the only necessary piece of equipment for stair running. You will be putting pressure on your feet and ankles, so they need to be well supported to avoid injury and falls.
- Remember you can split it up: if you don’t have a whole chunk of time to dedicate to exercise, you can always break your workout into more managable pieces. For instance you may be able to fit 10 minutes in at home in the morning while the kids eat breakfast. Then you may find 10 minutes in the afternoon near the park. Incremental exercise is still very beneficial for weight loss, so don’t feel as though you can’t do it bit by bit.
- Do it regularly: the next piece of advice is to keep doing it! Once you get started, you may decide to commit to 2 sessions of stairs per week. Or perhaps you can commit to 10 minutes of stair running per day. Either way, schedule it in and you will find that in time you get used to it and can push yourself harder or longer.
- Remember to cool down: at the end of your workout, take another stroll around on the ground for 5 to 10 minutes to cool down. Then do some stretching of your quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. This can help to reduce soreness the next day.
Results from mums on the 28 Day Challenge
Mums lose an average of 4-6kg (8-13 pounds) on our 28 Day Challenge and below are some of the amazing results from mums JUST LIKE YOU who are already using the 28 Day Challenge and losing tummy fat – make the change and join them today too!
You can see lots of results and you can join here too
Adrienne Has Transformed Her Health & Body On Our 28 Day Challenges*
Adrienne says: “After feeling hopeless and thinking I’d had to be overweight forever, I’m so glad I came across Lose Baby Weight in November 2014.
It has changed my life! I never feel like I’m missing out (in fact those that aren’t doing it are missing out!!) I’m ecstatic about my life and the healthy direction it is taking.
The challenges are varied so you don’t get bored. You follow how it suits you and you get to eat!!! Love LBW and will forever be grateful”
DON’T delay!
Join today and become healthier and fitter this Winter. Join 1000’s of other mums on the same journey and be supported every step of the way.
You won’t regret it!
* Results or situations may vary from person to person and results cannot be guaranteed.
