As part of the ongoing Live Well Allegheny Initiative, the county on Friday will encourage employees to take the stairs, rather than the elevators in the workplace.
“It’s a great way to get a little exercise," said Karen Hacker, director of the Allegheny County Department of Health. "It’s very convenient and very efficient, and does have some real benefits.”
Those benefits include burning more calories, among other things. Still, Hacker said some people don’t see how a small step such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator can make a difference. She says it may be a small step, but it’s an important one.
“It’s a first step often,” she says, “and I think we take it all too for granted to just get in the elevator, a lot of times to go just one floor, when there is often a nice stairway one can take and the difference is dramatic in terms of getting your blood pumping and getting some exercise.”
Hacker said benefits of exercise don’t only come from long sessions at the gym, but also from things like taking the stairs, or walking a little bit farther in a parking lot. Exercise and weight loss are two popular New Year resolutions, and Hacker said often people are excited, join a gym, go full-force, then end up injured. She said taking the stairs can help lead to bigger things.
“A stair walk is something that you don’t have to put money in front of, you can do as many as you want, you know, you can see what you can tolerate, and it’s readily available,” said Hacker. “I’m not going to encourage someone who’s never done any exercise to go up 10 flights of stairs.”
The goal of National Take the Stairs Day is to encourage taking the stairs not just on the one day, but consistently going forward. Employees and visitors to county offices will see signs near elevators encouraging them to, instead, take the stairs.
