Stairs? What a novel idea!




I find this video fascinating. I make a point of trying to take the stairs whenever possible and am frequently frustrated when almost forced to take an elevator or escalator. It is amazing how stairs are hidden in some buildings, particularly hotels. I have to take an elevator to the second floor? That's ridiculous. And it is amazing how people just step onto the escalator (or moving walkway in an airport) and immediately STOP moving, like their legs have suddenly become inoperable.

I guess I find the stairs to be an opportunity to exert a little effort in my day and celebrate the fact that I have the ability to climb them. There are those around me who cannot and that fact is not lost on me. You know, use it or lose it. Furthermore, taking the stairs is one of those many small daily choices that impacts our health over time.

Give your body small challenges and the right fuel and it will thrive. Think about why you do what you do; how you do what you do. If you don't, one day you might wake up to find you no longer have any choice.

Comments

Allison Bojarski said…
Living in NYC, I'm lucky to have the opportunity to climb the stairs every day. It's called taking the subway. I agree wholeheartedly with your point of view of use it or lose it. I often see those who really struggle with the stairs and it reminds myself of why I'm focused on keeping active.

Oh, and I pretty much always take the stairs 2 at a time--sometimes sprinting them--to make them more of a challenge and really work the posterior chain.
6:30 PM
Sean said…
I like to race the moving walkway in airports. It is quite a challenge to move faster than someone walking on the walkway, especially with your own bags.
7:23 PM
Jennifer said…
Love this video. I work in a 2 story office building with a large grand staircase. I take the stairs everyday at the office and am driven nuts by the number of people who take the elevator 1 floor.

Also, out in public like the airport or public transit I am often surprised at the number of people who change path to find the escalator instead of the stairs they are approaching.

I guess it is the same principle of people who will circle the parking lot repeatedly to get the closet parking spot when they park far way and walk and be inside by now.
12:18 PM
Amie said…
Have you seen this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSiHjMU-MUo&feature=related The little boy in the red jacket near the end is the best! (I'm a stairs kind of girl)
4:26 PM
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