Every week, trekkers@heart walk Singapore. Over the last five years they may have covered all of Singapore on foot several times. I joined them exactly a year ago. My sole purpose – improving fitness!

No I haven’t walked every Saturday. No I haven’t climbed any mountains with them. And no, I am not as fit as most of them. But here are the positives

1. I come across at least one inspiring soul during the walk
2. Just talking to those who have achieved better fitness, age no bar makes be see the possibilities.
3. Learning to say yes to adventures and therefore challenges is yet another milestone
4. Am I fitter than last year? Absolutely. I am glad I started this journey, no matter how many speed breakers I face.
5. I have also learned to understand when to push my body and when to say good bye early.
6. Having conversations with at least eight different people on any given walk opens your brain to a diverse thought process and helps you break from your own patterns of thinking.
7. After walking for about eight or ten kilometres and sometimes more than fifteen makes for a happy start to the weekend. And enjoying a hearty breakfast comes as guilt free pleasure.

Today’s walk was very urban. We started at Fort Canning Park and went inside Gardens by the bay. In the morning, the place felt serene, and several spots felt like I was walking into a book, a fairy tale. I felt like Alice in Wonderland. It felt therapeutic. Need I mention, it is the company that made all the difference?

P.S. When you join a group, be it for sports, hobbies or related to growth in any aspect of life, it opens up doors into the minds of people you wouldn’t otherwise meet. It gives you a chance to break free from your daily clutter. And that break is so crucial to break old habits, thoughts and ideas and jump on to new ones.