Steps
Posted: Thu 3 September, 2009 Filed under: Health, Thoughts, Weight Loss 3 Comments »In the ongoing work towards gaining fitness and losing weight, the current work environment is actually pretty good. In work I’m on the fourteenth floor, and in the Travelodge I’m currently on the 6th.
First of all, I’m walking between Travelodge and work – it’s roughly half a mile each way, which is fine. That now takes me about six or seven minutes (my kind of commute!) and a bit longer when I’m lugging my Big Bag on Mondays and Fridays.
Now, I’m also a lazy bastard – I admit it freely. So I really can’t be arsed to walk up the flights of stairs (if I could even find them – I know they’re here somewhere, but no idea quite where) to Floor 14 – besides which, I’d be a sweaty lump of dough by the time I got there.
But I do walk up/down the six floors of stairs (i.e. twelve flights of stairs) at the Travelodge rather than using the lift. I’m not knackered at the end of it, but I know I’ve done it (well, on the way up anyway) which is probably a good indication of how out of shape I am. But at least I’m working on it.
What does bemuse me, though, is the people – both at work and at the Travelodge – who take the lift to go up one floor. Fine, if they’ve got loads of bags or whatever, I’m not going to begrudge it. But seriously, if all you’ve got is your sodding iPod or whatever, one floor of stairs isn’t going to break you into a sweat.
That one floor of stairs comes up frequently in conversation at my work place. I am firmly on the side of the lift users.
I do have an expression “If god had intended us to use stairs she would never have invented lifts” (It tends to cause the maximum offence in the minimum time!)
If you were to look at me you would not label me disabled, especially when I’m running to the lift.
But there is something about my legs and stairs that really don’t mix. Sometimes at home I take the first few steps going up on all fours.
A lot of people have minor disabilities that don’t mean that stairs are impossible, but they’ve made a calculation that it’s just pleasanter to use a lift when available.
In a previous work place I was on good terms with someone whose job involved her walking between the ground and first floor twenty or thirty times a day. Sometimes she walked but mainly she got the lift.
I also use the excuse (partly seriously) that drinks should not be carried on the stairs. Of course we all do it at home, but many is the time where one encounters evidence of spills (that often aren’t reported) presenting a slip hazard to others.
I totally agree, Gert, and there’s lots of reasons to not take stairs, as you say.
You’ll note, I’m not advocating *always* taking the stairs at all. Sometimes the lift is a better option – and the ‘carrying drinks’ time is a perfect example of that.
The ones that truly bemuse me are those who’ve obviously been out for a lunchtime run, and then come back and use the lifts. One assumes (and I agree, it is still an assumption) that these fit fuckers are capable of virtually running up the stairs…
My kids hate me because I always make them use the stairs at the carpark in town. My argument is that we have legs so we’re going to use them, plus it feels like freedom to me after years of having to wait for the lift with pushchair in tow.
Apparently this makes me a mean and cruel mother, but despite it being 6 flights of stairs they’re really shallow and are probably only worth 3.
Plus, I really like to feel smug when I beat all the lazy sods who used the lift, especially going down with no heavy bags to heft to their car. (Though I do agree with Gert that you can’t tell when there’s a genuine reason that make stairs unwise).