Instead of taking the elevator, use the stairs at work to burn extra calories throughout the day. Whether you work in a 20-story building, live in a two-story house or can walk to a nearby set of school bleachers, running stairs can help you lose weight and tone the muscles of your legs, while improving your cardiovascular fitness.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise raises your heart rate and heats up your muscles, building more endurance and stronger lungs and heart. The Mayo Clinic recommends that you get at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day, although you can break that up into 10-minute increments. Running the stairs raises your heart rate faster than walking, helping you squeeze more of a workout into a shorter period of time.

Cost and Convenience

Unlike a gym membership, running stairs is a free way to exercise. When you get a break at work, use that as an opportunity to run the stairs, several times if necessary, to hit at least 10 minutes of working out. At home, running up and down a flight of stairs can raise your heart rate quickly. Many schools allow runners to use the bleachers for stair training. There might be certain days or times set aside for public use, so check with the school before running the bleacher stairs.

Build Muscle

When you run up the stairs, you build your calf and hamstring muscles. Climbing two steps at once can increase the intensity for your leg workout; this also engages your abdominals more because you must pull your legs up higher. Going down the stairs exercises your hip flexors and quadriceps as you control the downward movement. Going down is more high impact than going up, so consider taking the opportunity to catch your breath by walking down the stairs instead of running. Carry dumbbells in your hands to help build arm muscle as you run up the stairs: Alternate biceps curls as you run or perform overhead presses at the top of the stairs.

Losing Weight

Running stairs helps you burn a significant number of calories in a short period of time: A 185-pound man will burn about 336 calories in a half hour. In combination with a healthy, low-calorie diet, running stairs can help you lose weight. The muscle built during stair climbing also helps, as muscle burns more calories than fat.

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