Originally Posted by
bargainguy
I wish. I worked in a major teaching hospital for eight years, and they never got used to my commuting habits. It was a high stress setting, and in addition to bike commuting, I'd take the stairs instead of the elevator and go for long walks on my lunch hour, to help shake off some of that stress.
So in some respects, I was the odd one out, but I could have cared less. Work was not a popularity contest for me, and my exercise habits were a coping mechanism for the stress and a way to keep myself fit simultaneously. Many, many times I looked forward to the bike commute home, even if the weather wasn't the greatest, as a way to decompress.
That's kind of ironic. I'm in health care and was in a lot better shape than the staff was at my last job. Everytime someone said anything I told them I knew what not exercising does to you and that usually did the trick - that and having my name on the sign outside.
My condo neighbors have seen me riding and taking the stairs for years. I'm the one who gets complaints about things in the building and whenever someone complains about the elevator and why I haven't done anything about it I usually mention I'm healthy enough to walk instead of needing the elevator. That usually takes the wind out of their sails - especially the ones who find I've walked 1 flight of stairs in less time than it takes them to take the elevator when they go to get their mail after driving home.