Every few weeks or so we try to encourage our readers, especially those in middle age and upward, to do something they may have rarely or even never done before.

That is, do some regular exercise.

Go for a walk is the simplest advice. But how much walking is enough? Plenty have tried and abandoned the widely-publicised 10,000 steps a day. Divided up into two or three walks a day it’s not as punishing as it might seem.

But some experts say you don’t need to do 10,000 steps to get the heart-health benefits. Great. But you still need to do more than a stroll around the block.

Walking at least 7000 steps a day reduced middle-aged people’s risk of premature death from all causes by 50 to 70 per cent, compared to other middle-aged people who took fewer daily steps, researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst found as previously reported.

You might object to this, because you’re developing osteoarthritis, and don’t want to cause yourself pain or damage.

This is a huge issue, because with osteoarthritis you need to exercise to keep the blood flowing to the joint. Unless your doctor instructs you not to exercise, you’re better off walking every day.

A 2014 study found that walking reduces the risk of functional limitation associated with knee osteoarthritis.

The authors suggest that walking 6,000 or more steps per day may protect those with, or at risk of, knee osteoarthritis from developing mobility issues, such as people who have difficulty getting up from a chair or climbing stairs.

Another complication

Another thing to worry about as you age is loss of muscle and strength. Which means you need to engage in regular resistance or strength training.

Even people in their 80s benefit from climbing stairs. Just remember to use the handrails.

Why is it so important? Because the older you get, the more vulnerable you are to falls.

Starting resistance training in middle age sets you up well for a more confident and less hazardous old age.

Walking and strength training: Great!

Except you’re now wondering if there’s some form of exercise that combines walking with resistance training … and won’t take up hours of your time.

There is a such a thing

If you climb three to six flights of stairs a day – with each flight being 10 to 15 stairs – you’re reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart attacks, and blood clots.

The beauty of climbing stairs is that you’re getting:

• An aerobic workout – the hard work of getting up those stairs gives the heart a great workout
• A resistance training workout, because your legs muscles are busy taking you upward.

The benefits are there for people of any age. If you’re older, use the handrails. They give you an extra workout for your arms, and you don’t need to move at all quickly to get the full benefits.

A terrific new study from the University of East Anglia and Norkfolk looked at the benefits of climbing stairs in 480,479 participants, evenly split between males and females. The participants aged from 35 to 84 years old.

These were both healthy participants as well as people with a history of heart attack or peripheral arterial disease.

Researchers reported that participants who climbed stairs had a 24 per cent reduced risk of dying during the study period compared to those who did not climb stairs.

The stair climbers also had a 39 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and a lower overall risk of developing cardiovascular disease or suffering a heart attack, heart failure, or having a stroke.

These findings were presented at ESC Preventive Cardiology 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) earlier this year.

A quicker way to burn calories

Dr Alberto Minetti, a physiologist and biomechanist at the University of Milan, in an interview with AP, says stair climbing is an exercise for everybody.

“You always have stairs nearby you,” Minetti said. “And they’re free of charge compared to a gym.”

Minetti advises the not-so-young to mind their speed. Every step is a workout, no matter how slowly you take it.

He explained why walking up stairs is so effective for burning calories in a short amount of time.

“To move 1 kilogram of body mass over 1 horizontal metre, you expend 0.5 calories,” he said. “If you move 1 kilogram of body mass vertically on stairs it’s 10 calories. So it’s 20 times the calories moving vertically rather than horizontally.”

Yes, 20 times the calories walking up stairs compared to walking on flat ground.