You may have read our previous blogs about the health benefits of using stairs and how they can become a regular part of a fitness regime. From encouraging messages written on the treads, to repeatedly running up hundreds of steps as part of a gruelling workout, many are realising using the stairs can be the catalyst to begin the journey to becoming fit and healthy.
Governments are even getting involved by advising their citizens on methods of exercise and tips for eating healthily. Southeast Asia doesn’t have a high obesity rate compared with other parts of the world but it is something that is rising faster than it is elsewhere. In an effort to curb this growth in the obesity rate, authorities are trying to do more to encourage people to make the right lifestyle choices in order to protect their own health.
One of the methods being recommended by the government in Singapore is encouraging people to use the stairs more often, instead of lifts and escalators. Singapore is one of several countries in the region encouraging healthy living, with its near neighbours Malaysia and Thailand also getting in on the act. All three governments are introducing new plans to encourage people get more exercise and eat healthy food.
Whether the new measures prove successful won’t be known for some time, but any method of encouraging people to get fit has to be applauded. However, it ultimately comes down to the individual having the will and desire to go through with it. Taking the steps to start a fitness regime is hard enough but maintaining it over a period of time is even more difficult and you have to respect those who are able to do so.
Whether it’s simply taking the stairs instead of using the lift at work or when you’re out shopping, or using a staircase as integral part of your workout, like the Thousand Step Workout, every little helps and it makes you feel great about yourself (if a little tired and out of breath at first).