Do you use the stairs or elevator?

United States
January 1, 2013 7:17pm CST
I notice that most people would rather use the elevator than the stairs. This is especially true in my office. I work on the 5th floor. I take the elevator up in the morning, but always walk the 5 flights down. I also will take the stairs if I am going up or down 1 flight. A lot of people use the elevator for even 1 flight and most of them are heavy. Taking the stairs is such an easy way to stay fit especially when you sit in front of a computer all day. Do you use the stairs or elevator for 1 flight? Or does it not even matter to you how many flights you have to go up or down?
2 people like this
12 responses
@Arieles (2473)
• United States
2 Jan 13
If I lived in an apartment building, I would be taking the stairs. I like the exercise and these days I am not getting much. I probably wouldn't take the stairs all the time, but I would be taking the stairs more often than I would be taking the elevator. Maybe I would break it up like you do. I think taking the stairs can be a lot faster than using the elevator. It also wouldn't matter if I had ten flights of stairs to go up and down or seven flights of stairs to go up and down.
@Arieles (2473)
• United States
2 Jan 13
Oh yes, seven flights is a lot, and I agree...you would be pulling out of the parking lot by the time I got down with the elevator.
• United States
2 Jan 13
7 or more flights is a lot. i actually find the stairs quicker....especially at the end of the day when everyone is trying to get out of work. you could wait a good 5 minutes to get an elevator. by that time, i'm in car pulling out of the parking lot.
@FrugalMommy (1438)
• United States
2 Jan 13
I always used to take the stairs. These days it all depends on how I'm feeling. Some days I can manage going up and down stairs just fine, but others I'm in too much pain to even want to think about it. Using the elevator to go up to the second floor for my classes makes me feel really foolish but in the last year I've learned that I need to listen to my body and not push myself too far.
• United States
2 Jan 13
do what you have to. it's ok if there is pain or something physically that would prevent someone form taking the stairs. it kind of annoys me though when i see young healthy people use the elevator for 1 floor. then they blame their slow metabolism for making them heavy.
• United States
6 Jan 13
Ah, but just because a person looks young and healthy doesn't mean that they really are. I think you would probably be annoyed if you saw me taking the elevator, because at a glance I seem like I'm totally fine. Some days are better than others for me, but even on days when I'm not visibly limping I can be in enough pain to not want to brave the stairs.
@narthan (325)
• India
2 Jan 13
If I have to climb more than 4 for 5 floors then I use elevator else i usually use stairs!!!
• United States
2 Jan 13
climbing 4 or 5 flights is hard. especially in the morning when i'm still half asleep. i'll always take the stairs down though. so much faster.
@Keola12 (799)
• United States
2 Jan 13
Personally, I believe that taking the stairs as oppossed to taking the elevator is much healthier. I'd rather take the stairs. When I was in college many years ago, I would always take the stairs instead of the elevators, because not only was it good exercise, but I found that I arrived to the floor I needed and made it to class before the people who took the stairs did.
• United States
2 Jan 13
absolutely right. healthier and quicker. i almost always beat the people who take the elevator. there's no waiting on the stairs
@BabyCheetah (1911)
• Australia
2 Jan 13
It depends. I used to work on the 4th floor and there is only one elevator and it would break down often so climbing 4 flights of stairs everyone would be puffing by the time they reached the top. I could go 3 flights without so much puffing but afte the 4th well I was already tired but I didn't mind I liked the excersise
• United States
2 Jan 13
our elevators break down a lot too. i start feeling it about the 3rd flight up too if i do walk it. then i'll just take it slow the rest of the way.
• Australia
3 Jan 13
Yeah it's good excersise but the only down side is you get hot and sweaty and you're at work so it's kind of ick. Otherwise I used to like doing it and would do it sometimes even if th elevator was working
@Jennlee3 (292)
• United Kingdom
2 Jan 13
For me, it's all dependent on circumstance. If I'm tired and/or carrying a heavy load than I will use the escalator or the lift. But if I'm feeling good and not carrying much I will try to utilize the stairs to get in a little extra exercise!
• United States
2 Jan 13
yes the elevator is definitely easier if your arms are full. you don't want to lug heavy stuff up if you don't have to. i completely agree with that.
@youless (112140)
• Guangzhou, China
6 Jan 13
I go home and go to work by the elevator. I never think about going the stairs because it will be so tiring. I don't like this kind of exercise. Since everyday I go home and go to work on foot for half an hour already. So I like to treat myself better and I need to take the elevator.
@Iriene88 (5343)
• Malaysia
2 Jan 13
My office is on the 3rd floor. There is no elevator or escalator, just stairs! So I will go up and down by the stairs. However if I am going to the Malls, it depends whether I am rushing or not. At times I will use the elevator, escalator or stairs. Normally I prefer to go up by the escalator or elevator and down by using stairs. It is easier that way. Sometimes I even walk up or down when on escalator.
• United States
2 Jan 13
walking up or down the escalator gets you there in double the time.
@JamesKYTan (1605)
• Malaysia
2 Jan 13
Walking up and down the stairs a good exercise. I used to do that. However, I try to use elevator or escalator now because I am now 63 years old. Age catches us. When you are young try to exercise using stairs which is cheap.
• United States
2 Jan 13
it's very good exercise for those of us that sit all day and right... it's exercise that's easy on the wallet. i guess i'll keep taking the stairs while i'm still young and healthy enough. i know the day will come for me too that i won't be able to do it anymore.
@free_man (7330)
• United States
2 Jan 13
Hi Rockerfellaco and welcome to my lot. Me I don't care which flight it is I would rather take the stairs I don't like being inclosed in a box......LOL I like having control over when I have to stop or when I have to go. It is a lot healthier for us to take the stairs no matter which flight it is.
• United States
2 Jan 13
thank you. yup, if you take the stairs you don't have to worry about getting stuck or being stuck in there with a smelly person. haha
• Philippines
24 Jan 13
For me it really depends on the situation wherein I am into in that moment. For instance, it there are lots of people lining on the elevator and I am quite late for an appointment, I would rather go over using the stairs but if the elevator is quite empty and with a few people on it, then I will go over the elevator.
• China
2 Jan 13
I work on the fourth floor and i will use a lift when I go to the first floor, sometimes i will even use the elevator when i go to the sixth floor. Maybe i will try to get rid of this habit and use lift more to exercise.
• United States
2 Jan 13
i love when people outside the US call an elevator a lift. sounds so cool.