Climbing stairs may reduce hypertension

Try climbing stairs as much possible if you find aerobics or resistance-training exercises to be tedious, as it may not only reduce high blood pressure problems but also build leg strength, especially in older women, claimed a new research.

Postmenopausal women with estrogen deficiencies are more susceptible to vascular and muscle problems.

Climbing stairs may offers them the benefits of both aerobic and resistance exercise. It may not only improve cardiorespiratory fitness, but also leg muscle strength without their having to leave the house or pay a fee.

It also offers the additional benefits of lowering blood pressure and arterial stiffness -- thickening and stiffening of the arterial wall -- fat loss, improved lipid profiles, and reduced risk of osteoporosis, the findings showed.

"This study demonstrates how simple lifestyle interventions such as stair climbing can be effective in preventing or reducing the negative effects of menopause and age on the vascular system and leg muscles of postmenopausal women with hypertension," said JoAnn Pinkerton, Executive Director at the North American Menopausal Society in Cleveland, US.

For the study, published in the journal Menopause, the researchers surveyed over postmenopausal women who were trained four days a week and climbed 192 steps two to five times a day.

The results showed that stair climbing led to reductions in arterial stiffness and blood pressure and increases in leg strength in stage 2 hypertensive postmenopausal women.

--IANS

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