It's a commitment I made to myself to improve my stamina by starting something small on a daily basis.
The first time I climbed the stairs, the top seemed so far away. I was not exactly out of breath. Neither was I breathing normally when I reached the top. I was trying very hard to catch my breath.
The temptation to just take the escalator is great, especially on days where you are tired, your muscles are aching or just lazy. The urge to follow the crowd's path to the escalator is also strong, especially when you have to jostle with people coming from another direction.
it slowly becomes natural for me to walk towards the stairs or to look for the stairs wherever I am.
Recently, I've noticed that I no longer pant after climbing up a fleet of stairs. My muscles weren't as tense as the time when I first climb the stairs. My leg joints seemed to loosen a bit and I'm more agile.
Do you remember 9/11?
One survivor of the fateful incident had walked downstairs from a top floor about once every month. That's how he saved his life.
So start small, start somewhere.