LIVE SMARTER NOT HARDER: Want Your Life-Span to Climb to a High Number? Do THIS

If you want to live longer, take the stairs.

That’s the advice from researchers from the University of East Anglia and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, who just presented their new study’s findings at the annual European Society of Cardiology.

And it’s not even close:  Based on nine studies totaling more than 480,000 participants, taking the stairs led to a 24% cut of the risk of dying from any cause, and a 39% drop of the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, the experts found.

“If you have the choice of taking the stairs or the [elevator], go for the stairs as it will help your heart,” study author Dr. Sophie Paddock said.  “Even brief bursts of physical activity have beneficial health impacts, and short bouts of stair climbing should be an achievable target to integrate into daily routines.”

The experts noted that more than one in four adults, worldwide, do not meet recommended levels of physical activity.

The researchers call stair climbing “a practical and easily accessible form of physical activity which is often overlooked.”