When walking a short distance leaves you huffing and puffing, it's time to do something about your cardiovascular health.

Walking stairs is a great way to do this. The beauty about a stair workout is it's free and accessible. Beaches, parks, shopping centres, houses, airports and office blocks are full of stairs, but often we don't know what to do with them. So here are a few ideas. But first, warm up by walking up and down a few flights for two minutes.

Step drill

Stand facing the bottom step with your knee bent and your left foot on the step. Alternate your feet on and off the step, like you're running on the spot, while pumping your arms. Aim for between 30 and 60 seconds of this exercise.

Stair dips

Sit on the second step, leaving your feet flat on the ground with your knees bent. Place your palms behind you on the edge of the third step, fingers forward. Lift your bum off the step, extending your arms until they're almost straight with your elbows nearly locked in. Dip up and down, bending your arms behind you and touching your butt lightly on the second step each time, for 30 seconds.

Shoulder shuttle

With your fingertips placed just in front of the bottom step, face the stairs and adopt the push-up position. Rest your weight on your knees if you find it's too hard to stay
on your toes. Lift your right hand onto the first step, then bring up your left, before dropping the right then left hand back to the starting position. Walk your hands up and down for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Side squat

Stand with your right side to the stairway, about a hand's length away from the bottom step. Place your right foot on the second step. In one move push upwards, raising your arms above your head, straightening the right leg and letting the left leg come off the floor. Hold for one count before lowering the left leg back down. Do 12 to 16 of these squats before swapping sides.

The ultimate burner

Find a flight of stairs with 20 or 30 steps. Run from the bottom to the top as quickly as possible, then carefully jog back down to the bottom at your own pace. Repeat for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your fitness level. Don't try this if you lead a sedentary lifestyle - just start walking up and down first.

 

Tip: If you have a set of stairs at your work or home, leave what you're doing once each hour and climb the equivalent of three flights. You'll burn enough kilojoules in a day to eventually work off one kilo of body weight over the course of a year.