We are happy to announce that a press briefing was held yesterday to mark World
Obesity Day. During the World Obesity Day conference, the STOP Obesity Prevention and Treatment Partnership launched a nationwide social campaign YOUR MOVEMENT FOR HEALTH aimed at
promoting physical activity in a way that is easily accessible to everyone –
by taking the stairs #selfienas stairs instead of using the elevator.
The goal is to encourage Poles to use the stairs regularly, as
a simple but effective way to improve health and fitness.
The ambassadors of the campaign are:
- sports journalist Michal Pol,
- Szymon Majewski Polish journalist, satirist,
- Michal Domaszewski, chairman of the board of directors of Ambassadors for Health, physician,
- Agnieszka Węgiel, a psychologist.
- and Kinga Kujawska – one of the most famous gamers in Poland and the world.
– In the Partnership’s social campaigns, we will motivate us Polish women and men every year,
to one habit beneficial to health. One year-one habit, for that solidly and
thoroughly, so that it really takes root. And we won’t be teaching anything new, but rather
unlearning what we’ve run into with civilization that doesn’t serve us. In the first year of
, we have set our sights on taking the stairs instead of using elevators, on using
stairs for various exercise and workout activities – said Marta Pawlowska,
Chairman of the Bureau of the Partnership for the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity.
– In this campaign we draw attention to the attributes of a healthy lifestyle, which are within the reach of
each of us. Very often we forget what is simplest and most effective,
modern solutions in this case elevators have changed our habits for the worse.
We believe that the campaign, which will be joined by numerous members of the Stop Obesity Partnership will get a huge reach and will reach every Pole and taking the stairs will become
a new healthy trend,” added Dr. n. ekon. Małgorzata Gałązka-Sobotka – Director
of the Institute of Healthcare Management at Lazarski University.
As the organizers of the campaign said at the press conference, as part of
activities carried out during 2025, there will be promotion of the trend
of the change from elevators to stairs on social media under the slogan #selfienaschodach and #selfiespalajacekalorie; recommendations (training programs) for movement (using stair walking) depending on health and body weight will be prepared; a guide and interactive map will be prepared with marked interesting stairs in Poland
and a ranking of the popular ones. The guide will be premiered on May 22 on the European Day Against Obesity.
The organizers are also planning to hold cultural events #artcaloricfueling, where young artists will create and display their works on staircases. The finale will be an exhibition on the steps of the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.
Present at the conference, President of PTLO Dr. Mariusz Wyleżoł, M.D. – Head of
Warsaw Center for Comprehensive Obesity Treatment and Bariatric Surgery at
Czerniakowski Hospital praised the assumptions of the campaign – “Regular physical activity is not
only the key to health, but also a source of joy and energy, which are naturally part of
our way of life. Often, however, daily obligations make it difficult for us to find
time to exercise. It’s then worth looking for small opportunities to move throughout the day: choose to walk to work or ride a bike instead of a car or bus, and take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Every step toward activity has benefits and can make you feel better. Stairs are cool!”
For the campaign YOUR MOVEMENT FOR HEALTH, the organizers invited well-known and well-liked
representatives from various walks of life, who were also present at the conference:
“Stairs! What a brilliant idea. Stairs are everywhere only less and less of us use them. At
we move less and less in general. Kids skip P.E. en masse, adults write them
exemptions, they know sports themselves only from TV anymore. Our society is becoming more and more obese. So it’s a great idea to infect compatriots with stair walking! They will become for
them a substitute for gyms, to which it is so hard to chase them. I myself am going to
walk the stairs more from now on!” – Michal Pol – Sports journalist, co-founder of Kanal
Sportowy, press attaché for Polish Paralympians.
“In a world that gives us chairs and elevators we need to get our bodies moving
as simply and as often as possible. Walking and stairs are the simplest form of movement
and the most accessible. Come on, because it’s all about you!” – Agnieszka Węgiel – psychologist.
“I’m happy to support the campaign, which we will start a great process of returning Poles
to health, because 9 million of us are still obese which generates potentially a myriad of diseases from
diabetes to arthritis to cancer” – Michal Domaszewski – CEO of Health Ambassadors, family doctor.
Szymon Majewski, Polish journalist, satirist with his well-known humor commented
on the idea of using stairs in a social campaign: Let the saying
“the stairs have begun” be associated with us from now on, let it be Wind of change! – he told
during the conference.
“Today I train the quadriceps muscles of the thigh, gluteal muscles, calves, as well as the abdominal muscles and back. All without a pass and without equipment. How do I do it? I ditch the elevator and take the stairs. In games, sure, portals (which I sincerely hate) and fast travel are useful, but in real life it’s better with shoes.” – Kinga Kujawska, eSports presenter and gamer, said at the conference.
We encourage you to follow us on social media!
YOUR MOVEMENT FOR HEALTH
#selfienaschodach #selfiespalajacekalorie
IG: https://www.instagram.com/stop.otylosci/
