One of the cheapest ways to work out is also one of the most effective: Climb stairs.

• Stunning stat: Research shows you burn about 20 times more calories going up stairs than walking on flat ground. Even going down stairs you burn roughly five times more, as your muscles work to slow your descent, AP reports.

Plus there are other perks. Studies show that climbing stairs improves balance.

• It’s not as tough on the joints as running. And it can even relieve chronic knee pain by strengthening the key muscles around the joint, Healthline notes.

🔎 Zoom in: Stair-climbing, or tower-running, is a competitive sport. One of the most famous races is the Empire State Building Run-Up — the 46th edition will be held Oct. 9.

• Participants race one another up the Empire State Building’s 86 flights — 1,576 stairs.
• Another contest has racers climb 1,665 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

🔭 Zoom out: The best part about this workout is how accessible it is.

• Most of us are around stairs every day. We can choose stairs over elevators at the mall, the dentist’s office or the train station.
• These small, daily decisions can keep us healthier longer.

Go deeper: 2-min. exercise "snacks" (brief spurts spread throughout the day), may be better than your regular workout, by WashPost's Gretchen Reynolds (gift link).

Fall is here! But we want to remember summer with one more vacation sunset.

• This comes from reader Bill Tank from Bettendorf, Iowa, who took it while on a trip to Naxos, Greece.

📸 Looking ahead: Send your best fall pics to [email protected] to be featured in future editions of the newsletter!