Stairs for Fitness

No I am not talking about the StairMaster.  I am talking actual stairs.

I work in a hospital.  On my lunch about 3 days a week I go up the stairs to the 9th floor and back down and back up and so on.  My personal record is 8 times up and back down.  That's 124 flights of stairs!  I am dripping sweat by the time I am done and the inches (not weight) I have lost from this is very noticeable, even by other people.  It takes me about 20 minutes and then I go to the gym to shower the sweat off.  I am lucky enough to have a gym at work but usually I only use the shower there.  I have used the elliptical, treadmills, and the stationary bike and I don't sweat nearly as bad with even 25 or 30 minutes and I wasn't getting the results that I am now. 

I just decided to try it one day and I love the results.  It is also helping me condition for roller derby North Central Regionals where we may have to play twice in one day.  I do the stairs on practice days and then skate for 2 hours in the evening.  While my legs are telling me they are tired, it is getting easier every time and my body won't be working against me if we win and have to play twice in one day.  I am praying we win our first game and our second.  That would mean 3 games in 2 days! 

I started out going 4 times up to the 9th floor.  Then 5, 6, and now I have done 7 three times and 8 once.  I will continue to try to better myself and when I feel I have mastered them completely I may go down the hall a ways where there are 12 floors and longer flights.  Right now each flight I do has about 10 stairs and down the hall they have about 15 stairs each flight.  You don't have to join a gym to do any exercise, you just have to tell yourself that you can do it and DO it.  Happy fitness!