Get your exercise in by taking the stairs in 2019

Did you get your steps in this year on National Take The Stairs Day like this guy from Tampa who lost 50 pounds? Celebrated on the second Wednesday of January, the point of the day is to remind everyone how simple yet beneficial it is to choose the stairs instead of riding an elevator or escalator. If you missed the memo this year, it’s not too late to incorporate this low-impact activity throughout the winter season to build more toned muscles, lose weight, or improve your overall cardiovascular health and wellness.

As a travel nurse, you’re always on the go. So, take things a step further and move around on your assignments by taking the active route to the next floor.

It’s actually an awesome form of exercise

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease amounts to 1 in 4 deaths every year in the U.S. As the leading cause of death for both men and women in the country, more people should be proactive about heart health and taking care of their bodies. One simple and effective way to exercise and boost cardiovascular wellness is by taking the stairs! Putting your heart to work a few times a day with light activity such as short bursts of stair climbing can reduce your risk of having a stroke, according to the Harvard Gazette.

You’ll gain mental clarity, and what nurse can’t use that?

While it may seem like an insignificant commitment, forcing yourself to choose between the stairs and elevator everyday can actually turn into a burden on your mental health over time. Inc. Magazine contributor and “Leadership Step by Step” author Joshua Spodek explained how simply choosing to take the stairs indefinitely has provided mental freedom for him that has helped him focus on more important decision making.

casually dressed couple walking

“Choosing the stairs can provide mental freedom to focus on more important decision making.”

“I used to decide between the stairs and elevator each time I came home,” Spodek wrote. “The problem was that if I was thinking about something important, this minor choice would displace those thoughts. I decided to choose once and for all. The stairs won. Besides the exercise and all of its benefits, I got the mental freedom of no longer displacing important thoughts with that decision-making process.”

You’re a role model whether you realize it or not

Many people look up to nurses as role models. Take advantage of the opportunity to teach patients, coworkers, friends and family members the importance of healthy lifestyle choices by using the stairs instead of taking the escalator or waiting around for the elevator. This month, motivate others to take control of their own health and well-being with a simple task that they may not have considered in the past.

If there’s one lesson that travel nursing can teach you, it should be how important it is to take care of your own health when you’re constantly on the go. Taking the stairs might seem like a minuscule activity, but it will benefit your overall well-being in the long run. The next time you’re waiting for the elevator, think about the time you might save and the energy you’ll gain by taking the staircase instead.

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