But Avoiding Them Might Wear You Out Instead!
We’re currently in London speaking at The Profound Health and Longevity Conference. Ironically, the latest fashion here is that of stylish domestic lifts in houses – that also have stairs!
Sadly, as they age many people avoid moving into homes with stairs, worried they won’t be able to manage them later. Understandable — but it may be the wrong move.
Stairs are one of the most efficient, built-in forms of exercise we have. The energy difference is dramatic. Stair climbing is typically similar to a hard incline jog — while an easy flat walk burns minimal calories.
Remember, below a certain intensity you’re mostly just rehearsing movement.
Stairs also load the muscles differently — and better. Walking spreads the work fairly evenly through the ankle, calf and lower leg. Stairs shift the work onto the quadriceps at the front of the thigh – and going down them is especially important: the quads must control the descent like a brake — an eccentric load most people never train on purpose.
Then there’s your hip stabilisers that walking hardly use. Just below your pants pocket sits the gluteus medius. Its job is to keep your pelvis level every time you stand on one leg. Stairs work this on every single step, up and down. Flat walking rarely does both.
Why do they feel harder? Scans of older adults show that the more fat “marbled” into the gluteus, the weaker the electrical signal the muscle produces when it’s asked to work hard. A muscle that is required to work stays leaner and stronger throughout life. One that isn’t challenged does not!
This is why the same flight of stairs can feel so much harder at 65 than it did at 35 — and this gap widens with age. Stairs stress the whole lower-body chain (ankle, knee and hip) at once. Walking, cycling (seat-supported) and swimming (bodyweight removed) do not fully replicate this one-leg, weight-bearing demand on the hip stabilisers.
But don’t the stairs ‘wear the knees out’?
No! A large study followed 4,800 adults aged 45–79 who had knee osteoarthritis or were at high risk. Over 13 years, those who had difficulty climbing stairs — or rarely climbed them — had a higher risk of dying from any cause than those who climbed regularly. We’ve seen the same improved pattern at Performance Health Club, where people in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s happily use the stair climber machines.
A Warning sign.
Stair difficulty appears to be an early warning signal that something else needs attention… not proof that the stairs themselves caused the problem.
So next time you’re choosing a home — or deciding whether to take the lift — remember: the stairs aren’t the enemy. They’re one of the simplest, most powerful tools you already own for staying strong.
