Stretch your calves, those are usually the first to go. And yea def singing a song in your head helps, also gripping the vest helps keep you centered which seems to be a problem with some people. Also if your a dude, you'll notice the stairs are quiet small in width if your a size 10+ in shoe size. So take it slow and concertante on breathing, pace and balance and you should be good! Good luck! For me it helped to go up and down the stairs with a backpack filled with books for 4 minutes straight.