One of the delights of retirement is the privilege of structuring our time freely (more or less). We should keep fit; walking is the least demanding exercise for our age. Fortunately, we do not need to exercise in the morning or evening like most others. We can do so at our convenience.
Recently, I came across a poster in an MRT station that suggested we walk to eat (chilli crab). It is sweltering these days, and not everyone can access air-conditioned gyms. So, how about giving it a try – go fitness mall walking (“fitness malling”)? Just do it!
The Earth is getting even with us – we have been abusing it, and now we are suffering the daily oppressive heat with a vengeance. No, we cannot change the weather (in the short term). We have to adapt – we go fitness mall walking.
In our younger days, we cycled and jogged. While some of our fitter contemporaries can continue to do so (one of them still runs marathons regularly), we find walking to be more appropriate. Walking is a delight; we will continue until our bodies fall apart. Never mind about the searing heat in tropical Singapore – we can go fitness mall walking!
I used to go to Oman and Kuwait to teach (over ten years). Friends there tell me that the hospital is the most pleasant place to be in summer because of air-conditioning. I can also tell others the best place to walk is in malls for the same reason. Only madmen and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Let the midday sun blaze; we can keep cool in the many malls that dot our red dot. (The former Indonesian President Habibi called Singapore a red dot.) And why not incorporate lunch or dinner in your fitness malling?
No, I am not concerned with survival of the fittest. This saying is often attributed to Charles Darwin, but Herbert Spencer spoke those words. Darwin observed that it was not the fittest that survived but those who could adapt to the changing environment.
We can creatively adapt to the climatic changes by adjusting to fitness malling!
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
