They say that sitting is the new smoking, and with that in mind, all anyone seems to be talking about is achieving their daily 10,000 steps—or, as it turns out, 7,000 per recent research! While sure, many find walking to be a therapeutic practice, others think of those recommended five miles as nothing more than a chore—but what if walking didn’t have to be that way? Enter mall walking. Mall walking is no new phenomenon, as you’ve likely seen an older pair briskly speed-walking around your local shopping center. However, a group of individuals in Oregon looking for a fun way to move their bodies have reinvented the wheel, forming a mall walking group that taps into the trends of the ’80s we love to look back on. Here, learn all about the “Food Court 5000.”
Friendship, fitness and fun define these mall walkers
Krista Catwood is the founder of this now-viral exercise group, and what ultimately prompted her to kickstart this adventure was the lack of joy she felt when it came time to exercise. For the 43-year-old mom who leads this crew, it was her desire to shed a few of the pounds she had gained over the last few years that led her to this endeavor, “I gained weight over the last year and a half of dating my partner—she loves to go out to eat—and starting a new job in an office setting where I found myself moving around much less,” Catwood shared with Today.
Courtesy of the Food Court 5000
Struggling to lose weight and looking to avoid a new workout routine that felt like a chore, Catwood dug up her neon and got moving. Now, she’s joined by a growing crew that meets every Sunday at 11 a.m. at the Lloyd Center Mall in Portland. “We are a community of fast-walking, snack-loving, retro-fabulous weirdos who believe that fitness should be fun, free, and just the right amount of ridiculous,” states their website. Their site encourages participants to dress in their ’80s best, for what it describes as “part workout, part performance art, and all-around a great excuse to take over a shopping mall in the name of nostalgia and movement.”
For Catwood, it’s her mall walking alter ego, Vera Mysteria, that keeps her going. “I think of Vera Mysteria as a caricature of myself. She’s louder, slightly more brassy, and has stores of energy in her back pocket, so stepping into that persona when leading the walks really helps me get closer to that Richard Simmons zone of vitality that I’m wanting to present to folks. I have to be the cheerleader propelling us forward through the mall! Krista might want to stop for a snack at Joe Brown’s Carmel Corn but Vera wants to go go go!”
Courtesy of Food Court 5000
The mental and physical health benefits of mall walking
If you’re the type of person who finds joy in the great outdoors, then hit the trails, your local park or the streets of your neighborhood to get your steps in. However, many can benefit from a phenomenon like mall walking. For starters, it’s free, and if a gym membership just isn’t in your budget, having an indoor spot to get your blood pumping is a game-changer. Additionally, exercising outdoors just might not be an option for some people. If you live in a warm climate, exercising outdoors in high temperatures can be risky, or if you suffer from things like seasonal allergies, getting a walk in outside can make you feel worse. And that’s not all—if you struggle with stability, uneven pavement and tough terrain can lead to injury, where the flat ground that the mall provides makes for a smooth workout.
