UP OR DOWN
Does it make any health difference
whether you exercise by hiking up or down a steep incline? Researchers say that
in some ways it might. Taking the stairs
regularly is a simple and practical means to improving health. Researchers
asked 69 sedentary employees to use the stairs at their place of work instead
of the elevators. After 12 weeks, the workers aerobic capacity had increased by
8.6 percent, which gave them a 15 percent reduction in all-cause mortality
risk. The workers also saw significant improvement in their blood pressure,
cholesterol, weight, fat mass, and waist circumference. A study conducted on a
mountain in the Alps where for two months 45 volunteers hiked up the 30-degree slope
and rode a cable car back down. Then, for two months more, they did the
opposite. While hiking in either direction helped lower bad cholesterol, the
study suggested that hiking uphill was more effective for lowering levels of
fats called triglycerides, [while] hiking downhill was better for reducing
blood sugars and improving glucose tolerance.
Downhill exercise, therefore, may be
good for diabetics and a bit easier for those just starting to exercise. For
city dwellers, this can be accompanied in taller buildings by taking the
elevator up and then walking down the stairs or by exiting a car at the top of
a hill and meeting the car at the bottom. However, be aware that downhill
exercise puts greater pressure on the knees.
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