Summer is coming and like it or not, many of us are starting diets and workouts to be bikini ready. But incorporating workouts into an already packed schedule can be hard to do. One simple way to add in light cardio and toning into your daily routine is to take the stairs. This could be at work instead of an elevator, at the mall and skip the escalator or even if you don’t have time to go to the gym walk up and down any stairs you can find and best part is … its free!

It is suggested that adults get 30 minutes of exercise a day so add in this easy workout to get to the places you already have to go.

BENEFITS OF TAKING THE STAIRS

• No special equipment is needed
• Stair climbing can be accumulated across the course of the day, making a significant contribution to the recommended 30 minutes of daily physical activity
• There is a significantly lower risk of mortality when climbing more than 55 flights per week
• Active stair climbers are more fit and have a higher aerobic capacity
• Even two flights of stairs climbed per day can lead to 6 lbs of weight loss over one year
• Stair climbing increases leg power
• Stair climbing can help you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
• Stair climbing can help you build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
• A 120-pound person walking up stairs for 30 minutes burns 220 calories, compared to only 190 calories burned doing 30 minutes of high-impact aerobics
• Just 2 minutes of climbing stairs a day can keep off the pesky two pounds that most adults gain in a year
• Taking the stairs firms up your glutes and quadriceps while increasing your bone density