A Quick Question
Although it's important to pay attention to new developments, the previous Abu Ghraib post isn't the most pleasant subject for a Monday morning (or any time, for that matter), so I'll supplant it with something I've wondered about. Why do people on their way to the gym take an elevator or escalator instead of using the stairs? Any insights are appreciated.
posted by Doug @ 8:50 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
At one of my jobs, I frequently share elevator space with people who are heading up to the parking structure from the health club on the main floor, so I often witness this phenomenon. I can only guess, since I'm not generally inclined to direct nosy questions toward sweaty, tired people who are obviously in better shape than I am. My first guess would be that they have chosen to expend their energies on the equipment they've paid to use, and since the stairway is purely utilitarian, they can't regard it as anything more than a nuisance. Plus which, they're tired; they just finished working out. If they had to climb the stairs to GET to their workout -- in other words, before they're tired, I suspect a lot more of them would make the climb.
So there you have it. I read your posting on Abu Ghraib, found it informative and thought-provoking, but it takes a humble question about gentle behavioral quirks to actually elicit a written response from me. Go figure.
You've got a point about people being tired after a workout. I guess it depends on where the stairs are. The gym I usually go to (as well as another one where I sometimes work out) has an entrance on the ground floor and most of the gym equipment on the second floor (the ground level is made up of other retail stores), so people take the escalator up to work out, and then down when they're finished. That just doesn't make sense to me.
I suspect if I had to go up after my work out, I'd probably use the escalator, but walking down isn't a big deal. Also, if the gym is in an office building or something and would entail more than a flight or two of stairs, I could see taking the elevator. But taking an up escalator to get to the exercise area just seems silly to me.
It seems silly to me, too. But then again I've seen people pile on mountains of cheese and bacon at salad bars, then gingerly reach for a diet soda.
I agree that it is related to the diet-drink-with-fattening-meal phenomenon, which has often puzzled me.
As for the escalator/elevator question, I think people see the two things as separate. One is health-related and the other is getting somewhere quickly. It is more time-efficient to take elevator, and maybe escalator. And besides you can save your energy for the real workout.
It's a different mindset to think that what you're doing the rest of the day when you're not working out is related to your weight and health. It's an even more extreme mindset to gear all parts of your daily routine including transportation, eating, drinking, etc. around your health. It's the best thing to do, but I'm afraid many people aren't there.
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