VOA健康报道2024--Stair-climbing: A Sure Way to Burn Calories

If you are trying to lose weight, climbing stairs as a regular exercise might be for you.

Stairs are available in many places. And research shows stair-climbing is more effective than walking on level ground.

"Overall¹, it is a fact that stair-climbing gets you fit faster and consumes³ more calories," said Lauri van Houten, vice⁴ president of the International Skyrunning Federation⁵. The organization oversees⁶ a number of activities that involve climbing.

"How many calories will I burn is the question everyone wants to know," van Houten said. "Here's the good news: The overall energy expenditure⁸ of the exercise depends on your weight. Therefore, the more you weigh, the more you burn," she said.

Research shows you burn about 20 times more calories going up stairs than walking on flat ground. Even going down stairs, you burn around five times more because your muscles have to work to slow the body.

That might be all you need to know if you are trying to lose weight.

Dr. Alberto Minetti of Italy's University of Milan has done a large amount of research on human movement - including stair-climbing. It is an exercise everyone can do and does not cost money, he said.

Minetti did the math to explain why going up stairs is so effective for burning calories in a short amount of time.

"To move 1 kilogram of body mass over one horizontal⁹ meter, you expend⁷ 0.5 calories," he said.

But, he added, "If you move 1 kilogram of body mass vertically¹¹ on stairs it's 10 calories. So it's 20 times the calories moving vertically rather than horizontally¹²."

Trained as a doctor, Minetti has spent his career as a researcher. He suggested that older people and beginner stair climbers watch their speed.

Minetti does his own stair-climbing at his home in Milan. He said he often takes a few deep breaths before going up the many stairs.

In a scientific study, Minetti makes the point that using your arms in stair-climbing adds extra power. Handrails offer safety, too.

The study notes that handrails are available along most stairs in very tall buildings. Using them increases "the muscle mass involved..." by getting the arms involved, the study shows.

"They are relatively¹³ small muscles in the arms, but better than nothing," Minetti said.

If stair-climbing were an Olympic sport, Australian Suzy Walsham would own gold medals.

She has won 10 races up New York City's Empire State Building - officially 1,576 stairs - and five climbs up the Eiffel Tower. Overall, Walsham has won more than 100 international stair races, and was once considered the top woman in the sport.

When she was living in Singapore, Walsham climbed up her 29-story building - 37 times straight. It took over four hours with short breaks for coffee or water. She covered a vertical¹⁰ distance of 3,200 meters.

Walsham told the Associated Press that stair-climbing is a good form of exercise for many kinds of people.

"Many people struggle to run as they age," she said, noting the exercise is "harder on the joints¹⁴."

She said stair training is a great substitute¹⁵ for running.

Stairs are everywhere - one flight, two flights at home, inside very large buildings, in stadiums, at work, in shopping malls, in the subway.

Stair-climbing does not take much time. It is easy to build up, adding a few flights of stairs every day or week. Stair-climbing can also help improve balance.

And it can easily become part of an exercise plan.

Yuri Yoshizumi won last year's women's division¹⁶ of the Stairclimbing World Championships in her native Osaka, Japan. She completed the 285-meter climb - 1,610 stairs - in 10 minutes, 20.06 seconds.

"Stair-climbing is an easy sport for beginners and the general public to get into," Yoshizumi told the Associated Press in an email. She said the exercise helps to "strengthen your muscles and your cardiovascular system in a short amount of time."

Yoshizumi noted¹⁷ that cities usually have many public stairways for people to climb.

"Just using the stairs instead of the escalators at (subway) stations and department stores is a good way to get some exercise," she said.

Words in This Story

stairs -- n. a series of steps or flights of steps for passing from one level to another

consume² -- v. to waste or burn away

calorie -- n. an amount of food having an energy-producing value of one large calorie

expenditure -- n. the act or process of spending or using

horizontal -- adv. being on the same level

vertically -- adv. going straight up or down from a level surface

handrail -- n. a narrow rail for grasping with the hand as a support

escalator -- n. a power-driven set of stairs arranged like an endless belt

1 overall   

n.工作服，工装裤；全面的，全体的

参考例句：

• The shop assistant was wearing a white overall.那店员穿着白色的工作服。
• How much will it cost overall?一共多少钱？

2 consume   

vt.花费，消费；毁灭；vi.消费掉；枯萎

参考例句：

• They generally consume more power and take up more space,too.它们通常消耗更多的能量，并且占用更多的空间。
• The British consume a vast amount of tea each year.英国人每年消费大量的茶叶。

3 consumes   

v.消耗( consume的第三人称单数 )；烧毁；大吃；使充满（强烈的感情）

参考例句：

• The electricity industry consumes large amounts of fossil fuels. 电力工业消耗大量的矿物燃料。
• An electric heater consumes too much electricity. 电热器用电太费。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

6 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

7 expend   

vt.花费，消费，消耗

参考例句：

• Don't expend all your time on such a useless job.不要把时间消耗在这种无用的工作上。
• They expend all their strength in trying to climb out.他们费尽全力想爬出来。

8 expenditure   

n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗

参考例句：

• The entry of all expenditure is necessary.有必要把一切开支入账。
• The monthly expenditure of our family is four hundred dollars altogether.我们一家的开销每月共计四百元。

9 horizontal   

adj.与地平线平行的，平的，水平的

参考例句：

• The lake has a horizontal surface.湖面呈水平状。
• On a map there are horizontal lines and vertical lines.在地图上有水平的线和垂直的线。

10 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

11 vertically   

adv.垂直地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically.在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• The human brain is divided vertically down the middle into two hemispheres.人脑从中央垂直地分为两半球。

12 horizontally   

ad.水平地，地平地

参考例句：

• Line the pages for the graph both horizontally and vertically. 在这几页上同时画上横线和竖线，以便制作图表。
• Can you rearrange things on the window or dialog to expand horizontally? 是否可以重新安排窗口或对话框中的内容，在水平方向扩展一些？ 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

13 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

14 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

15 substitute   

n.代理，代理人，代用品，代替物；vt.代替；vi.替代，取代

参考例句：

• Can you substitute for the singer who is ill?你能替一下那位得了病的歌手吗？
• Yogurt is a perfectly acceptable substitute for cream in cooking.酸奶是烹饪用的特别受欢迎的奶油替代品。

16 division   

n.区分，分开，除法，公司，部门，师(军队里)

参考例句：

• Have you learnt division?你学会除法了吗？
• The division commander ordered that we start the attack before dawn.师长令我们在拂晓前发起攻击。

17 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。