NO country seems to be able to curb the problem of an increasingly-overweight population and Malaysia is no exception. Research suggests that over 50% of Malaysians battled with weight issues in 2019 and after 14 months of being inactive due to the Covid-19 pandemic, that statistic could well be closer to 60% or more.
Obesity is a problem that affects both the community and the environment and will either result in increased medical costs for individuals or severe overcrowding of public hospitals in the near future. It is time for affirmative action!
In an effort to raise awareness and combat this growing epidemic, April 28 has been earmarked as ‘No Elevators Day’, a worldwide event that encourages more people to use the stairs ─ instead of elevators and escalators ─ as a fun and healthy way to add some physical activity to their day. The goal is to get as many people as possible to be actively moving. Taking into consideration that some people are not physically capable of using the stairs, ‘No Elevators Day’ is entirely voluntary, and elevators should still be available for those who require them.
As it has been well-documented that sedentary behaviour can lead to adverse physical conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, the Malaysia Towerrunning Association (MTA) believes the ‘No Elevators Day’ can encourage Malaysians to start becoming more active on a daily basis because some physical activity is better than none.
As such, MTA is encouraging the Government to introduce a ‘No Elevators Day’ consistently from June 2021, for instance, on the first Tuesday of every month. Every building or respective location can take the opportunity to organise its own event in support of this initiative. As an added benefit, organisers can use this opportunity to introduce their building’s fire stairs to all of its occupants.
In order to put this entire initiative into perspective, an average person burns approximately 0.17 calories when climbing a step and about 0.05 calories upon descending a step. Since one cup of teh tarik kurang manis contains about 80 calories and one cup of teh tarik biasa contains about 100 calories, an average person would need to climb about 471 steps to burn 80 calories and 588 steps to burn 100 calories.
It is clear that climbing the stairs is an easy, accessible, affordable and safe way #ToBeActive and #BurnCalories apart from exercising one's hamstring, quads, calves and glutes. Every step counts and #EveryStepBurnsCalories!
MTA president, Ravinder Singh, said, "Think of the stairs as an awesome opportunity to #BurnCalories, whether at home, the office, in public spaces or just at the MRT/LRT station. Choose the stairs as opposed to the elevator or the escalator”.
Guinness World Record holder, Soh Wai Ching, added, "Pick the tough route, take the stairs as a challenge. Once you’ve done it, you will not only be more confident to face the day, you will derive immense health benefits that will make you bolder and stronger!"
The Malaysia Towerrunning Association, which has been registered under the Commissioner of Sports since August 2019, is the governing body for the sport of towerrunning in the country. Globally, Malaysia is ranked number six in towerrunning while Soh Wai Ching is ranked number two in the male category, having set and broken four stairclimbing records for both the Guinness World Records as well as the Malaysia Book of Records over the past five months.
He is currently awaiting a date (preferably August 31, 2021 to mark both Malaysia’s Independence Day as well as the 22nd Anniversary of the Petronas Twin Towers) to climb the KLCC Twin Towers and set two Guinness World Records simultaneously. ─ The Vibes, 29 April 2021
NOTE: There is no special equipment needed for climbing the stairs. Use the handrails for extra support and to engage in a total body workout
