5 pieces: Exercise, busyness, pill bottles, plan Bs, and winning money

Articles on exercise, pill bottle tops, retirement planning, and others caught our eye this week. (Photo: iStock)

I collect articles that catch my eye, squirreling them away in folders on my desktop. They’re usually related to work – health, wellness, benefits, retirement – but didn’t make it into a longer format. Here’s a sampling as we slide deeper into February:

Have stairwell, will climb: The stairwell in your office building could be your next cold-weather (or hot-weather) fitness center. Researchers at McMaster University studied people doing short bouts of intense stair-climbing. “Short” means taking no more than 10 minutes (including a warm-up, a cool down, and a recovery period). Participants ran the stairs three times a week for six weeks, and it worked — they improved their cardiovascular fitness.  Exercise for Anyone, Anytime: Researchers Find Brief, Intense Stair Climbing is a Practical Way to Boost Fitness — Newswise