This month, we’re challenging you to take the stairs. All through the month of May, we’ll have stair-centric exercises and workouts for you to add into your routine. The first one is, simply: Walk or run up a bunch of stairs.
The casual option
Wait for stairs to present themselves in your daily life, and take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. If you’re going up a dozen floors, and you aren’t ready to sweat all over your work clothes, take the elevator most of the way and then walk up the last floor or two.
The outdoorsy option
If you live in a hilly place, look for outdoor stairs that present a bit of a challenge. Some hiking trails are full of stone steps; some cities have massive staircases alongside certain steep streets. Find a steppy route and go for a hike.
The intense option
Construct a high-intensity interval workout around your favourite set of stairs. I know I’m not the only person who has run up staircases when my hill repeat day was rained out. You can do this even if you only have a single flight of stairs to work with: Briskly walk or run up, then take it easy on the way down.
Remember that walking down stairs can be harder on your legs than walking up them, even if it doesn’t feel that way at the time. (These “eccentric” muscle contractions are notorious for causing next-day soreness.) Take it easy your first time, and let us know how it goes.
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