About eight years ago, Ms Clara Lim decided to walk the three-hour journey every morning from her home in Punggol to her workplace in Tai Seng near Upper Paya Lebar. The ambitious attempt to save money lasted only two weeks due to sheer exhaustion, so she scaled back her plan. She started walking from her home to the nearest MRT station every morning, rather than take a four-stop bus ride. Outside of work, too, Ms Lim walked "almost everywhere". After a day out with friends, she would walk home from as far away as Dhoby Ghaut in town, because she hated feeling like a sardine in a can while on the train. The journey was roughly 15km long and would take her about four hours.And two years ago, to earn a badge on her Garmin watch that is also a fitness tracker, she once clocked 50,000 steps in eight hours without a break.
"I just decided the day before that I wanted to achieve the badge, so I walked along the coast from Punggol towards Tanah Merah," said Ms Lim, now 28 and a user experience (UX) researcher."It was fun; I just love walking and wanted to, so I did."Today, her walking habits have changed. A new mother of a three-month-old daughter, she now takes fewer impromptu walks.Instead, Ms Lim spends about two hours each morning strolling with her baby along the park connector near her home to hit 20,000 steps each day."While I used to walk alone and listen to a podcast, now I walk with my daughter in her stroller, sometimes staring at her and just clearing my mind. It's enjoyable doing so every day," she said.Another avid walker, Mr Hong Chou Hui, 49, enjoys walking for about two hours daily, before 9.30am or after 5pm, when temperatures are much cooler and the humidity is bearable. These walks are largely in the Ubi and Kaki Bukit area, where he lives. Since he began walking in 2022, he has made a couple of discoveries: an old secondary schoolmate’s bike shop nearby and the favourite resting spots of his neighbourhood's community cats. "These small things are what you would not notice if you didn't walk. If you're riding in a car or on public transport, you're likely glued to your phone screen," the self-employed content strategist told CNA TODAY.Aside from his daily walks, Mr Hong prefers to alight a few MRT stops away from his destination. He walks the extra distance to explore neighbourhoods, clear his mind and get some extra movement in his day.
