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Can I count this as exercise?

Every day I take the stairs at work. To the 8th floor. then again after lunch...and sometimes even more if I have to run an errand. So on average I walk up about 20 flights of stairs in a day...it doesnt take 30 minutes ...so I cant really count it as the 30 recommended mins of exercise, but it sure does burn. Should I be proud? or am I giving myself a pat on the back for something thats actually insignificant to my weight loss?

Wed. Nov 1, 3:48pm

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I think it's definitely good to do - and we should all try to do little things like this throughout the day. However, the goal of cardio is to keep your heart rate elevated for a sustained period (like 30 m ins) - and you aren't really doing that with climbing the stairs alone (unless you went up and down for 30 mins).

Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 4:25 PM

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I say pat yourself on the back! I sure don't climb 20 flights of stairs a day.

Should this be your _only_ exercise most days? No. Keep looking for other reasons to pat yourself on the back, though! (Walking or biking to work or to the store, or parking far away from the door so you have to walk, etc.)

Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 4:49 PM

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Here's something I discovered, as a resident of NYC...
Every time we take the subway, we descend an average of 5 stories to the train, and then ascend the same amount at the other end, sometimes with another couple of flights in the middle if we have to transfer to another line. And of course there's the walk to/from the stations. We do this twice a day. Doesn't sound like much, does it...but try stopping. Say you lose your job, or you move elsewhere. I'm not the only one who has noticed a decrease in cardio fitness after a few weeks without the usual commute.

So while those 20 flights might "only" be a 100-calorie burn (hey, that's an ounce of pretzels!), the benefits go beyond that number. Keep it up!

Wednesday, November 1, 2006, 6:04 PM

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