Stair climbers love their exercise, even when security guards act like they’re up to something

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom McGee started climbing stairs for exercise 20 years ago as part of an effort to stay away from cigarettes. It hasn’t always been easy: Climbing the hotel stairs sometimes attracts the attention of security guards.

“I got kicked out of just about every hotel in the city,” said McGee, a 69-year-old market researcher who lives near Chicago.

climbing stairs Exercise guidance has become increasingly ingrained, but many people who do it regularly say it can be challenging in an age when office tower managers often cut off access to stairwells.

Here’s a look at stair climbing as a form of exercise and the unexpected challenges some people face when trying to do it.

Climbing stairs is great exercise

Semi-retired pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Luis Rodríguez participates in stair climbing and extols its benefits.

“You work your legs. You work your heart. You work your lungs,” said the 66-year-old Rodriguez. “You can get so many more benefits from walking because gravity is working against you.”

It’s backed by research showing that climbing stairs for four minutes is equivalent to about 10 minutes of brisk walking or 20 minutes of slower walking.

federal in 2018 physical activity guidance It has been changed to encourage short-term activities, such as using the stairs every time you have to move between floors at work. The guide suggests that these types of activities can be built up over the course of a day, meaning you can improve your health even if you can’t go for a run or do a 30-minute workout.

Many people “don’t realize they don’t have to do it all together for it to be effective,” said Virginia Tech exercise expert Stella Volpe.

Jennifer Gay, a public health researcher at the University of Georgia, said stair climbing also has the potential to improve the mental health of many people and is associated with increased feelings of energy.

Experts say people who may have trouble with stairs should talk to their doctor before trying a climbing regimen.

For some building owners, stairs are a potential liability

Each spring, the American Lung Association holds fundraisers in office towers in cities across the country. “Fight for Air” events are widely considered fun, but organizers say the name comes from the shortness of breath people can experience after climbing dozens of floors or contracting lung disease.

Landlords may not always be so helpful.

Some law firms are advising homeowners and building owners that they could be held liable if someone trips and falls on a ladder. Inadequate lighting, liquid on steps and broken railings are among the situations that can be claimed in lawsuits if someone falls and gets injured.

Many building managers took this advice to heart, saying that staircases should only be used in emergencies.

a study A percentage of hospital emergency room visits published in 2018 concluded that more than 1 million ladder-related injuries occur each year in the United States, and broken bones are more common in older people. More than 60 percent of the injured were women.

Gay said research suggests there is little risk of injury for people climbing stairs. He added that going down the stairs could be riskier and that building managers “can’t make it a one-way street.”

For more than a decade, some health advocates have been pushing for better access to steps.

In 2013, a California-based nonprofit health policy organization called ChangeLab Solutions resource guide It urged property owners to open stairwells, arguing that they pose no more liability risks than other common areas.

Gay and colleagues estimate that 60 percent of U.S. workers do their jobs in high-rise buildings with stairs. However, there are no statistics showing what percentage of these buildings have restrictions on stair access.

How to find a way to climb?

Many people who love climbing have stories of having difficulty finding ladders they could use.

Lisa Bai, a New Yorker who works in the real estate industry, said she could not use the stairs of the office building. It may seem like an easy way to get some exercise, but sometimes it “isn’t,” he said.

Bai and others say they are finding other ways to move forward. Fitness equipment like StairMaster machines may approximate the physical labor of climbing stairs, but people who have participated in tower climbs say it’s not as demanding as the real thing.

If you don’t have easy access to stairs at home or in public spaces, you may need to get creative.

Carmen Erickson and Vivian Dawson, who live in the Detroit suburbs, have been meeting three times a week for nearly a decade to climb stairs, usually at a nearby park.

However, this can be more difficult when traveling. When they vacation together, they make sure to stay on the top floors of tall hotels so they can use the stairs. They also search hills and hospital parking lots.

They also agreed to after-hours access to a building’s stairwells, agreeing to sign a waiver and checking in with security guards each time.

“If you connect with the right people, tell them what they’re doing and agree to the rules, it hasn’t been much of a problem for us,” Erickson, 53, said.

But Dawson, 64, added: “You really have to want to do it.”

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