Stair climbing good as gym for heart health

CLIMBING stairs at home is as effective as going to the gym at staving off heart attacks, studies have shown.

Scientists found that walking up 18 flights had the same benefits to the heart and muscles as a 45-minute gym session.

Coronary artery disease patients were put into two groups – traditional moderate-intensity exercise at the gym or vigorous stair climbing. Prof Maureen Macdonald, of Mcmaster University in Canada, said that both forms of exericse changed fitness. “We’ve shown stairclimbing is a safe, efficient and feasible option for cardiac rehabilitation, which was particularly relevant during the pandemic when many people didn’t have the option to exercise in a gym.”

The studies were published in the journals