This is such a simple change to make, I can't believe how lazy and complacent people have become. DH and I made the switch to using the stairs almost exclusively (we made an exception earlier this week when we had just gotten home from a trans-Atlantic trip). We live on the 5th floor, and as another poster mentioned, it drives me nuts when I see people taking the lift down from from the 2nd floor. Our local tube station is about 2-3 floors underground, and we invariably beat the lift going up- or downstairs, especially when heaps of people are piling in at the last minute and causing delays. The lifts at my office building are terribly slow, too, and I don't understand why 60-70% of my colleagues - including some who are in great shape from cycling or gym activities - don't bother to take the stairs up or down from our 2nd floor office.