Most of us avoid taking the stairs whenever possible. Have you even seen the stairs at your job? Perhaps once or twice you had to use the stairs in your office building because the elevator or escalator wasn’t working, or maybe there was a fire drill. Whatever the reason, taking the stairs regularly is a change worth considering. Consider this.

In a study conducted at University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland, researchers wanted to test the effectiveness of increased physical activity, the type that’s easily incorporated into anyone’s schedule. They recruited 77 physicians and nurses (42 women and 35 men, average age of 43) at the hospital and looked at the effect of taking the stairs instead of the elevator. At the start, all of the participants had sedentary lifestyles, meaning they exercised less than 2 hours per week, and covered less than 10 stairs per day. For the 3-month study, they were asked to avoid the elevator and exclusively use the stairs in this 12-story hospital. They recorded the stairs used in a diary worn on their badges. None had diabetes, but 40% had high blood pressure, and 30% had high cholesterol.

At the end of the study, participants went from an average daily ascent and descent of stairs equivalent to 5 floors, to an average of over 22 floors. This brought about significant reductions in their waistlines and in body fat. More importantly, researchers saw a very impressive jump in the aerobic capacity of study participants, which if maintained long term could yield a 15% drop in all-cause mortality. There was also a drop in diastolic blood pressure and a 4% decline in their LDL (bad) cholesterol level, with favorable trends shown with their systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and HDL (good) cholesterol level.

Six months after the study’s completion, participants covered only half as many stairs each day, but several benefits still remained. Specifically, they maintained their increased aerobic capacity, and their reduction in fat.

How many reasons do you need to get healthier while you’re getting paid? Take the elevator. Live longer.