step count vs stairs

[FinallyTrying]

do you think it is more important to do more stairs vs steps?  I dont always hit my step count but do tend to go up and down stairs a lot.  I am trying to lose 20 pounds.

thanks

[Heybales]

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@FinallyTrying wrote:

do you think it is more important to do more stairs vs steps?  I dont always hit my step count but do tend to go up and down stairs a lot.  I am trying to lose 20 pounds.

thanks

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More important for what goal?

Trying to lose weight - merely eat less than you burn. 

Stairs has you lifting yourself higher and burning more in reality, but Fitbit doesn't increase the calorie burn for stairs that are seen done.

So you are getting extra deficit since your daily burn is actually higher than what Fitbit sees.

Stairs are usually a better workout too if taken at decent pace - because they are harder, so better fitness aspect.

But, walking up an incline is exactly the same thing, though different muscles. Fitbit won't see that fact and give you extra calories burned either, and it's a better workout than walking flat.

And frankly if stairs and steps is taking you away from a potentially better more useful exercise time, then neither is going to help transform your body as much as say strength training would.

Just simple cardio like walking and stairs makes a smaller version of your current self. What many call skinny fat when they finally get there and are unhappy with it. If you melt 20 lbs of fat off, what is under it right now?

Strength training gives you something to show when the fat is leaving.

[FinallyTrying]

thanks - I had not thought of that.  I will look into slowly adding some strength training  to my day.

[KC12]

An important note for strength training: don't do the same thing every day. Muscles need rest in order to rebuild, so work out different muscles on different days. I alternate strength training with cardio.