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Movement & Strength

The conductor's stairs

Why a few breathless minutes may count more than you think · 14 min

In 1950s London, the men who climbed the bus stairs all day had healthier hearts than the men who drove. Seventy years later, wrist trackers found a similar pattern in people who said they didn't exercise. What a few breathless minutes can and can't do, and one free first step.

Takeaways

  • In 1950s London, bus conductors, who climbed stairs all shift, had fewer heart attacks than drivers, and sudden death as a first sign of heart disease was more than twice as common among drivers.
  • In about 25,000 British adults who said they did no exercise, those with about three short, breathless bursts a day had around 40% lower risk of death over seven years; it is a link, not proof, and may partly reflect illness.
  • This week: pick one moment in your ordinary day and do it hard enough to be out of breath, on three days.

Chapters

  1. Upstairs, downstairs0:17
  2. The gym answer2:15
  3. Intensity, a minute at a time4:41
  4. Two kinds of days7:37
  5. Hear it done9:01
  6. Build yours10:03
  7. The answer11:53

References

  1. Morris, J. N., Heady, J. A., Raffle, P. A. B., Roberts, C. G., & Parks, J. W. — Coronary heart-disease and physical activity of work(1953)
  2. Morris, J. N., Heady, J. A., & Raffle, P. A. B. — Physique of London busmen: epidemiology of uniforms(1956)
  3. Stamatakis, E., Ahmadi, M. N., Gill, J. M. R., et al. — Association of wearable device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity with mortality(2022)
  4. Koemel, N. A., Ahmadi, M. N., Biswas, R. K., et al., & Stamatakis, E. — Vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity (VILPA) and mortality risk among US adults: a wearables-based national cohort study(2026)
  5. Jenkins, E. M., Nairn, L. N., Skelly, L. E., Little, J. P., & Gibala, M. J. — Do stair climbing exercise "snacks" improve cardiorespiratory fitness?(2019)
  6. Bull, F. C., et al. — World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour(2020)
  7. World Health Organization — Every move counts towards better health – says WHO(2020)
  8. Paffenbarger tribute (BC Medical Journal) — Exercise and the heart: A review of the early studies, in memory of Dr R.S. Paffenbarger