So forget about the gym and head to the stairs in your office or apartment. It's that simple. You don't have to run, either. You'd pass out before you got to the ninth floor.
Just climb the stairs at your normal pace and let gravity do the work. That's right, with stair-climbing, you are working against gravity as you carry your weight through space.
It's a challenging workout, too. I've seen many macho men humbled by an old-fashioned stair-climb. It's not for wimps!
In recent years, stair-climbing events have been incorporated into fund-raisers. If you're looking for an opportunity to test your mettle while paying it forward, I invite you to participate in the 26th annual Cystic Fibrosis Climb for Life, which benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Participants race up 53 floors (a vertical half-mile of 1,018 steps) in the Mellon Bank Center at 17th and Market streets. You can compete solo or with a team for the fastest time and the most money raised. This year, the climb takes place Feb. 24. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the fun begins at 9.
For more information, contact the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Delaware Valley at 610-325-6001 or cff.org.
Kimberly Garrison is a wellness coach and owner of One on One Ultimate Fitness in Philadelphia. Email her at kimberly@1on1ultimatefitness.
com. Her column appears Wednesdays.
