You may have heard it before; to get more physically active you should change your daily bad habits. For example, get off the bus a few bus stops before yours and walk the remaining distance, park the car further away from the store, or walk the two blocks instead of driving. Another classic advice is to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Many people would reason that taking the stairs would not make that big of a difference, and that is true…in the short run. If you take the stairs one day a week instead of the elevator or escalator you may not notice a difference, but if you take the stairs every day for a year you will. Every day elevators, escalators, and moving stairs move double the population of the U.S. and Canada combined. In the United States this results in a total of 210 billion passengers per year. According to some experts this is estimated to save 34 million pounds worth of calories each year, which contribute to excess weight gain.
Several studies have been done throughout the country to emphasize stair climbing. Informative signs by the escalators encouraging people to take the stairs resulted in a tremendous increase in the number of people taking the stairs.
Now when you know better no signs are needed, thus next time you have the option, think of your health and walk up the stairs.