This One Minute Stair Test Can Help You Predict Your Risk Of Dying Of Heart Disease & Cancer
If you can walk very fast up three floors of stairs without stopping, or fast up four floors without stopping, you have good functional capacity.
Curious about how long you will live? At some point this question is bound to pop up in most people¡¯s mind. For the health conscious their health and longevity is one of the keys to living their life to the fullest.
Although there are sophisticated techniques to measure longevity out there, the simplest way to assess this metric could lie in walking up a flight of stairs.
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Yes, you heard that right. The simplest test to tell how long you live could involve the rate at which you walk up a flight of stairs. Although the same tests can be performed on the treadmill, all you need is a simple flight of stairs.
A recent study conducted by the European Society of Cardiology conducted tests that revealed that certain exercise tests could reveal the possibility of you dying prematurely due to heart disease, stress and cancer.
The speed at which a person can move up 4 flights of stairs in a minute can indicate the condition of their heart health and lower their risk of premature death.
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If you¡¯re able to climb up the stairs during the stipulated time, your heart is in good condition, if you can¡¯t you may need to keep at it to get into shape.
"Our results provide further evidence of the benefits of exercise and being fit on health and longevity," said study author Dr Jes¨²s Peteiro, a cardiologist at University Hospital A Coru?a, in a statement by EurekAlert! Science News. "In addition to keeping body weight down, physical activity has positive effects on blood pressure and lipids, reduces inflammation, and improves the body's immune response to tumours."
One of the most common ways to check your fitness levels involves an exercise echocardiography test, but it is neither affordable nor accessible to anyone.
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"There are much cheaper ways to estimate if you could achieve ten METs on the treadmill test," says Dr Peteiro. "If you can walk very fast up three floors of stairs without stopping, or fast up four floors without stopping, you have good functional capacity. If not, it's a good indication that you need more exercise."
Here¡¯s a basic stair climbing workout that can take your stamina while climbing up the stairs way beyond even what the tests recommends:
Regi is the Health Editor of Health Me Up. He believes a fit body and mind are the key to being in the pink of health.
