Hyderabad hospitals, offices get healthy ‘steps’

In other cases, staircase art includes motivational messages like “Physical activity will add years to your life and life to your years”; “Walking up the stairs burns almost five times more calories than riding an elevator” etc.

One poster in a hospital said: “There are 1,440 minutes in every day, schedule 30 minutes of them for physical activity”. Other messages include “Small steps make big differences”; “Raise your fitness level, one step at a time”. Messages at a commercial complex in Himayatnagar too have caught many visitors’ attention.

Gayatri Chowdary, a professor at a city college, said, “When I recently went to the Kims hospital to visit a patient, the staircase art, where every step had a calorie count, caught my interest. It was good to know how many calories one can burn climbing up and down the stairs.”

Manoj Kothari resident of Himayatnagar, said, “One of the messages was “The victory is not always to the swift, but in those who keep moving” at a private office which I liked. In fact, the message made me take the steps. It is a nice way of sensitising people about the importance of walking up of the stair case to keep fit.” “The calories used as mentioned in the staircase are correct. They are calculated as per the body mass index. Using the staircase depends on the person’s capacity.” “People can exercise and gradually work on their ability. However, heart patients have to take precautions and not opt for vigorous exercises. However, they can do brisk walking,” said cardiologist Dr. Anand Agarwal.