I didn’t run today. Overslept. The sun was fierce when I finally rolled out of bed at 10 am.

Ok. Excuses.
Then I remembered this blog.
Accountability.

Said I’d do it, so I will.
Exercise, that is.

Living in a 14 storey building has its advantages.

Who needs a stairclimber or whatever you call it exercise machine in a gym, when you’ve got the real deal. Flights of stairs that let you get a great cardio workout from the convenience of your home?

We HDB dwellers in the heartlands have got it all.

Got up. Laced my running shoes. Then hit the stairs.

Going up and down 14 flight of stairs continuously can ge boring, so I just lose myself in my thoughts. Reflecting on the past week, thinking about the things on my endlessly long to do list, praying or talking (silently cos i don’t want people to think I’m stark raving mad) as I climb.. and you know what? 50 minutes had passed and I forgot to feel tired.

It’s all in the mind. Really.

When the lift is spoilt and I have to climb 7 flights of stairs, it seems so tiring. When I count how many times up and down 14 flights I’d done and how many flights to go.. it seems like I’d never make it.

Yet when I forget about counting and take the climb as time for reflection, an hour goes by quickly, I work up a good sweat and don’t feel like I’m gonna collapse.

You know what? If you find it inconvenient to run, try the stairs. You’d burn calories just the same.