Walking up steps

I do it the way your DH does it. Just seems the natural way to me.

um, how can I not know?

I do it the way your DH does. I've never heard of/seen anyone doing it flat footed (until now).

Yes, I do it flat footed. I find it hard to go on tip toes anyway.

It's not tiptoes though - it's just not the heel, it's as though you are wearing high heels. Well that's what I was taught by my elegant aunt!

The thing is if it's your whole foot then your toes will be against the riser, I just tried it and it felt awkward. Each to their own version.

Me too....no heel?

Just tried it and I use ball of foot.
My size sevens are much too large to be placed fully on a step.

My problem is going down steps/stairs as I do use my full foot at an angle (iyswim).

It is quite ungainly and I think it has probably happened fairly recently.
Possibly due to wearing verifocals and having a dodgy ankle.

Oh for the days of flitting down steps without a thought of breaking ones neck

Depends how knackered I'm feeling. Sometimes it's whole foot and hauling myself up with hands on the banister too! Used to bound up and down two at a time.

Interesting! I will have to find out, as I don’t actually know.

I am very careful about coming downstairs now having come flying down with speed on more than one occasion.

When I say 'flat-footed' I mean I don't spring upstairs on the balls of my feet, I tend to put them down flat even if my heel isn't quite on the step iyswim.

I feel that I might overbalance if I were to use the balls of my feet.

At the moment with my horrible knee, I go up leading with the left foot using the ball of my foot followed by right leg bringing foot flat down on the same step. The same again and so on. Its taking me ages to get up and down the stairs and driving me crazy as I am always forgetting things. OH is good at running up fo what I have forgot, bless him

Another vote for ball of foot, but I had to try it just now to find that out.

Having developed 'bungalow legs' since retiring, I'm just glad if I can get to the top.

Well, they do say 'best foot forward' but I have now found out that I lead with my worst foot/ankle.

I haven't actually noticed but often have to go up on my knees at the end of the day!

I'm another ball of the footer. Or is that perhaps a footballer? .
Time was when I only ever climbed the stairs two at a time. Running. I can remember being puzzled that anyone would do it any other way. Oh for such youthful innocence

I would love to be able to walk up stairs, since contracting a severe infection in my "new" hip, I have not been able to.

icanhandthemback: Perhaps take a little more water with it next time! ‘Joke,’. (Of course)

Basically a hanging on to the banister and hauling movement on a bad day. On a good day I spend a moment at the bottom wondering when stairs turned into the equivalent of Everest and then I am sure I will be fairly flat footed as I don't trust my balance.

Other than that coming down is more worrying but less effort but involve both the banister and the opposite wall. As I start by coming down first in the day that is the point when things are least flexible. Sometimes, a couple of hours later, I can go up and down doing a pretty good imitation of a normal human being although I am sure my feet will be flat so that the bits that have feeling can respond to the surface.

I have a feeling it is bungalow/flat time very soon but, in all honesty, I rarely think about it. You don't do you unless someone asks?

MIL used to say it was her 'only exercise' whereas we just worried about her falling down them.

THIS is why I joined Gransnet - to hear how others are doing it (ageing gracefully, and being grandparents)! Your posts are so spot-on!! I too do the 'hand-rail haul', and the 'sideways' climb and descent - dodgy knees from years of extreme sports+trifocal lenses=dread of stairs now I'm in my 60s.

Our current home is becoming a nightmare - inside the stair risers are so narrow I hate having to make the climb, I'm always worried I'm going to fall. Outside the only way to the back garden (and my washing line) is via a set of 25 narrow riser concrete steps - I fell down those 2 March 2016 resulting in breaking and dislocating everything in my dominant hand-wrist-arm-shoulder-collarbone, and I still can't tie an apron behind my back. (And my tennis backhand is gone, just gone completely)

We're looking for a new home (hopefully by spring). Deal-breaker no matter how much we love the house is if there are ANY stairs in the garden. If the new home comes with inside stairs, the first thing we're doing is fitting a stairlift but my hope is we'll find a nice bungalow or cottage all on one level. Including the gardens.

Urmstongran,