Take the stairs, live longer

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Take the stairs at work, rather than the lift, and you could live longer, according to new guidelines.

Businesses are being urged to ban lifts in their offices in an effort to force employees to take the stairs and, hopefully, extend individuals' life expectancy.

It might be something of a no-brainer that walking up stairs rather than standing in a lift is better for your health, but a new study at the University of Geneva discovered that taking the stairs for just 12 weeks translates into a 15% decrease is one's chances of dying prematurely… from any cause.

Over the course of the three-month trial, those who took part in the research in Geneva improved their lung capacity, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, they all lost weight and body fat.

'This suggests that stair climbing can have major public health implications,' lead researcher, Dr Philippe Meyer, told the BBC.

June Davison, from the British Heart Foundation, adds: 'Taking the stairs regularly is an excellent way to increase your physical activity and it can be easily incorporated into your daily routine.

'Carrying out regular physical activity can halve the risk of dying from coronary heart disease.'

Something to think about when you nip out of the office for lunch today…

Friday 5 September 2008

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