Tip of the day from the 'You Docs': Get fitter, faster

Want to lower lousy LDL cholesterol and raise heart-lung health faster than Oscar gown knockoffs hit the stores? Just say, "I'll take the stairs." And do it.

We're not talking about climbing the Empire State Building, either. If you do just two minutes of stair-climbing — that's a couple of flights — five or six times a day, in eight short weeks you can:

--Increase your heart-lung fitness by almost 20 percent, upping your odds of a longer, better life.

--Reduce bad LDL cholesterol by 8 percent, and raise good HDL by about that much, shrinking your risk of a heart attack, stroke, erectile dysfunction and wrinkles (all are increased by LDL).

--Do it all without spending a dime on a gym membership or a shred of spandex.

Stair-climbing is so effective because it forces your body to work against gravity, which, among other things, firms your glutes — those jelly-rear-end muscles. Exactly how effective is it? The fitness gains from doing 11 minutes of daily stair work for eight weeks rival those of walking 36 minutes a day for six months. Wow.

That said, we hope you walk and do stairs. Of course, if you're fantasizing about joining the Olympic track team, you'll need to do a bit more than that. But if you simply want to medal in living a healthier life, 11 minutes of stairs makes your training world-class.

Just don't count the stairs that lead to Ned's Ice Cream Flav-o-rama. And if you're totally out of shape, start slowly: Do one flight up and two down once today; walk for 30 minutes — if it's in five-minute sections, fine. Once you can mix 10-plus minutes of climbing with 20-plus minutes of walking, you'll find that it does powerful things for your heart, lungs, energy — and even your love life.

The YOU Docs, Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz, are authors of the best-selling 'YOU: The Owner's Manual' and 'YOU: On a Diet.' To submit questions and find ways to grow younger and healthier, go to www.RealAge.com, the docs' online home. Distributed by King Features Syndicate.