Finnish hockey star Toni Leinonen climbed 426 stairs up the Malminkartano Hill near Helsinki in an astounding 58.75 seconds.

That’s impressive, but fortunately not necessary to get the measure of your heart health, according to research presented at a 2020 meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.

Researchers evaluated how much time it took 165 people who had symptoms of coronary artery disease, such as chest pain or shortness of breath during exertion, to ascend 60 steps at a good clip — but not running.

It turns out that if you can do that in less than a minute, you have pretty good heart health (it could be better).

If you can do it in less than 40 to 45 seconds you have a low mortality rate — just 1% or less per year, or 10% in 10 years.

But if it takes you 90 seconds or more, you should actively work with your doctor to protect your heart.    

To incorporate stair climbing into a workout, people without heart disease can adopt an intermittently intense stair exercise routine. Search "stairs" to check out "exercise snacking" at DoctorOz.com.

One option: climbing 60 steps three times a day, waiting one to four hours between "snacks" for optimal benefits.

Remember, those with diagnosed (or suspected) heart disease should always talk to their doctor first. Ask about using cardio rehab or physical therapy to safely get into it.