INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A national nonprofit wants people to skip the elevator on Wednesday.

The American Lung Association recognizes National Take the Stairs Day on the second Wednesday of the year.

The group wants people to start the new year on the right foot by taking the stairs. It says the day serves as a way to promote a healthier lifestyle.

ALA’s Indiana Development Manager Kaitlyn Smith says their goal is to help everyone breathe better.

“When you’re climbing the stairs, you can definitely feel your lungs and heart at work,” Smith said. “The American Lung Association likes to say that when you can’t breathe, nothing else matters. Regardless of how good a shape you might think you’re in, when you’re climbing the stairs, It’s so easy to very quickly become out of breath. It reminds people of the over 1.1 million people in Indiana who are living with lung disease.”

According to the ALA, taking the stairs has the following benefits:

• It improves balance and coordination.
• It strengthens major muscle groups like the glutes.
• Stair climbing can burn two to three times more calories than other exercises
• Switching to climbing the stairs can help lower mortality risks

National Take the Stairs Day is also a way for the nonprofit to promote its annual fundraiser, the Fight for Air Climb.

During the challenge, climbers go up 47 flights of stairs. According to Indiana ALA Executive Director Tanya Hussain, it takes the average person 20-30 minutes to finish the climb.

Jake McKinley is the health and wellness director at Robinson Park, which operates the gym in the Salesforce Tower. He’s helped oversee the climb in the past.

“It’s (about) bringing people together, doing something challenging, but also working on their health,” McKinley said. “It’s (also) going to help with preventing diseases in the long run and support the mission of the American Lung Association.”

Those missions include funding research on lung cancer and other diseases, creating a tobacco-free future and improving air quality.

This year’s Fight for Air Climb is March 8 at the Salesforce Tower. To sign up for the challenge click here.