The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute identifies obesity as a body-mass index score of 30.0 or above. Using this as a gauge, more than one-third of Americans were obese based on 2008 data. A good way to control your weight is through exercise. The stair stepper offers a way to control your weight with exercise, which will burn significant amounts of calories. You can use a stationary step or a portable stair stepper. You can also use a stair stepper exercise machine with pre-programmed fat burning workouts.
Calorie Burn
For what seems like a simple movement, using a stair stepper offers an effective way to burn high amounts of calories. A 150-lb. person will burn about 612 calories an hour using a stair stepper. The high calorie burn comes from engaging the larger muscles of your lower body including your glutes and quadriceps. Whether you use a step or a stair stepper machine, you will find this exercise intense. For an obese individual, it offers a way to help you lose weight with aerobic exercise.
Health Benefits
Weight control is one of the primary benefits of using a stair stepper. However, it also provides other health benefits for the obese individual. You will improve your cardiovascular fitness using a stair stepper because of the aerobic workout it provides. It can also help prevent diabetes. A 2011 study by Kuopio University Hospital in Finland identified physical activity as an effective way to prevent diabetes in obese individuals. The combination of being overweight and physically inactive is lethal, causing about 1 in 10 deaths in the United States.
Getting Started
Because of the intensity of using a stair stepper, you should consult your doctor before beginning an exercise program. Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease. Intense activity could be harmful with someone with uncontrolled high blood pressure, which is commonly associated with being overweight. You should also proceed slowly with your exercise plan. The American Heart Association recommends that you avoid high-intensity activity until after you have been exercising regularly for six months.
Weight-loss Plan
To get your weight under control, you should plan on using your stair stepper five or six times a week. Following the recommendations of the American Heart Association, you can start with shorter 15-minute sessions of moderate intensity and gradually work up to 30 minutes or more. You can increase the resistance on your stair stepper machine as you become more fit to continue your weight loss. With regular use, you will find that your stair stepper can help you better manage your weight and your health.
References
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Body Mass Index Table 1
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Obesity and Overweight
- Discovery Health: Activity Calorie Burn Rate
- "Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases"; Are We Really Active in the Prevention of Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes at the Community Level?; M. Uusitupa, et al.; April 2011
- "PLoS Medicine"; The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors; G. Danaei, et al.; April 2009
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Step 3 --- Before You Begin
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