How to survive 5 flights of stairs

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At first the iSchool’s stairs look scary but if you follow these tips, you might have an easier time conquering them.

Lia Gordon and Saumya Grover, Reporter and Copy Editor

You wake up at six in the morning and take subway to school. It’s 8:55, and you have to climb the numerous flights of stairs. What do you do? You have to get to class on time. You stare up the flights and sigh.  You decide to give it a try and dash up the stairs. Half way through, you stop to catch your breath. Your chest hurts, and you just want to go home. You look at the floor number and realize you’re only on the second floor!

You check your watch again and see that it’s 8:57. Only three more minutes left! You start walking up the stairs knowing that at some point or other you will get to the top. You finally get to class and sigh; but when you look at the time, it’s 9:04! Oh my goodness! You’re late!

One thing every iSchool student has to go through is walking up the 4-5 flights of stairs. We always end up feeling out of breath and just lose all hope to get to the top. But don’t fear! We have the cure to your problems. Here are 5 tips to get through the five flights of stairs.    

Tip 1: Take two steps at a time

“Taking two steps at a time will be of great help,” said freshman Samara Zielen. We tend to get a lot more tired and feel out of breath when we take one step at a time because we are exerting more energy. When you skip a step, you save your energy and don’t feel as out of breath. Also, staying in shape will help you get through it.

“Running at a certain pace can also help,” said Mr. Laurro. In the past, Mr. Laurro has worked with the iSchool students to help them run in a 5k. When you run up the stairs, you don’t feel every single step so it makes it easier for your body to keep going.

Tip 2: Pause between flights

“I once knew this student who would climb all the way to the fourth floor and then walk across to the other side and climb to the two flights to the 5th floor,” continued Mr. Laurro. Most of students at the iSchool are extremely out of breath by the time they get to the fourth floor. So, to save energy, they decide to walk to the other side through the fourth floor.

Many iSchool students also like to pause after a few set of stairs to let their bodies recover from the exertion and then start again. They also carry a water bottle in hand and that way they can just take a sip of water, gain more energy, and continue moving.

Tip 3: Music

“I like to listen to music while climbing up the stairs,” said freshman Giada Corea, “A lot of people listen to music to pump them up while they exercise. Listening to music might prepare people for the treacherous journey.” You will see that many people in the subways and at school always have their earphones in when they aren’t in class because it helps them zone out. That way, wearing headphones will distract you from feeling the pain.

Tip 4: Talk with your friends

When you distract yourself from what you’re doing, climbing the stairs will seem easier. Talking with your friends might make your mind unaware of what your body is doing. “Whenever I’m talking to my friends while we are walking up the stairs, I forget about the pain of walking up the stairs,” Giada Corea commented. Students are also more motivated to get through the stairs if all of their friends are with them. 

Tip 5: Get to school on time and know how much time it takes you

“We usually have three minutes between classes, but if you are ever running late try to have at least five minutes to climb the stairs just in case,” said freshman King Temple. It usually takes us around 3 minutes to get through the stairs and that way we have two minutes to get to class.

“Did you know that the five flights are actually ten flights of stairs?” added Mr. Laurro. There may be 10 flights, but always remember that you will get used to them and that they are actually benefiting you in a great way. You may feel like you can’t keep going, but just remember your heart can do a lot more than that. The pain and tiredness is just your brain worrying about you. The five flights of stairs aren’t Mount Everest; you are able to get through it. Just know your limits and pace yourself. Know how fast you can take each stair or flight.