The only place my grandparents take a walk at is by the longkang below my house. Let’s face it, places like the MacRitchie treetop walk are way too dangerous for the elderly to go with all the steps and steep slopes.
Luckily, a shiny new set of guided walking trails designed for seniors will be launched for those participating in National Steps Challenge. This is due to the increase in participation by seniors.
More Seniors Joining The Yearly Exercise Programme
According to The Straits Times, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor said that the number of participants aged 60 and above increased from 16,000 in 2015 to 140,000 last year.
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That’s a lot of seniors.
They’re also clocking more daily steps: The average number of steps they walk daily increased from 6,900 to 10,500 during the same time period.
I don’t know about you, but I barely clock 7,000 steps per day.
Guided Walking Trails: ‘Silver Challenge’
The guided walking trails are aptly called ‘Silver Challenge’. They’ll cover ‘iconic locations and nature parks’ all over Singapore so anyone from any part of Singapore can take part. One of these will be the Tampines Eco-green.
Health Promotion Board (HPB) have yet to reveal just how many of these trails there’ll be. It could be 10 or it could be a 100, who knows.
The trails will also offer tips on healthy ageing and to encourage them to remain active and fit.
Signups For Silver Challenge Are Open Â
No need to wait or queue up anywhere this time, because signups for the Silver Challenge are already open. Thus far, about 18,000 seniors have signed up, according to HPB.
It’s no surprise too because the National Steps Challenge has been increasing in popularity over the years. A whopping 800,000 people signed up for Season 4 of the National Steps Challenge which was five times more than in Season 1 back in 2015.
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Now you must be wondering, does this National Steps Challenge really help me keep more active?
Well, statistics say yes.
There was an increase in physical activity among those who took part in the National Steps Challenge over time in terms of step count and higher-intensity exercises.
Participants who had taken part in all the previous seasons walked an average of 3,950 more steps per day since the first season.
That’s not all though, to encourage previous participants to take part, HPB will be giving away exclusive Pokemon-themed collectables to those who have joined all four previous seasons.
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Yasss, free stuff! Now that you’re all excited, find
out how to sign up here.
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