What If Every Lift Stopped Working Tomorrow?

The day your building's lift stopped working might tell you more about your fitness than your last health check-up.

Last month, one of my clients walked into the gym looking unusually tired.

“Coach, today was a workout before the workout,” he said.

I laughed and asked what happened.

“The office lift wasn’t working.”

Now this wasn’t someone climbing to the 25th floor. His office was on the fourth floor. Just four floors.

But by the time he reached his desk, he was breathing heavily, his legs felt tired and he had already decided he deserved an extra coffee.

It got me thinking.

Imagine if every elevator in your office and apartment stopped working for just one day. How would you feel? Annoyed? Tired? Completely exhausted? Or would you simply shrug your shoulders and start climbing?

Your answer has very little to do with how expensive your gym membership is. It has everything to do with how well your body handles everyday life.

We Have Made Life Easier. Maybe Too Easy.

Think about how many opportunities to move we’ve removed from our day.

• Lift instead of stairs.
• Car instead of walking.
• Food delivered to the door.
• Online meetings instead of walking to someone’s desk.
• Even the TV remote has a remote these days.

Technology has made life wonderfully convenient. But our bodies haven’t changed as quickly as our lifestyles have. They’re still designed to move.

Meet Rahul

Rahul (name changed) is a software engineer. He works hard. Exercises three days a week. Eats reasonably well.

But one day he proudly told me, “Coach, I don’t miss my workouts.”

Five minutes later he also admitted, “I barely cross 2,500 steps on most weekdays.”

That’s when we had a conversation that changed his perspective.

I asked, “If you only brush your teeth three days a week, would you expect healthy teeth?”

He laughed. “Obviously not.”

Movement works in a similar way. Your one-hour workout is important. But your body also cares about what happens during the other twenty-three hours.

The Exercise You Don’t Realise You’re Doing

There’s a fancy scientific term called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, or NEAT. Sounds complicated. It’s actually very simple.

NEAT includes all the movement you do outside planned exercise.

• Walking to your colleague’s desk.
• Climbing stairs.
• Carrying groceries.
• Playing with your kids.
• Cleaning your house.
• Standing while talking on the phone.

None of these feel like a workout. But together, they can make a huge difference to your overall health and the number of calories you burn in a day.

Sometimes the healthiest person in the room isn’t the one doing the hardest workout. It’s the one who simply moves more throughout the day.

The Funny Part

Your smartwatch celebrates when you climb one flight of stairs. Maybe it’s trying to tell you something.

Also, if your biggest daily climb is scrolling Instagram with your thumb, your legs are probably feeling left out.

Does Stair Climbing Really Help?

Yes.

Regular stair climbing has been associated with improvements in cardiovascular fitness, lower body strength and balance. It also helps many people build endurance without needing special equipment or extra time in their day.

For older adults, maintaining the ability to climb stairs comfortably is also linked with greater independence in daily life.

The best part? You don’t need perfect technique. You don’t need expensive shoes. You don’t even need to change clothes. You just need to choose the stairs once in a while.