Shopping centre walks offer physical exercise and company

On a Tuesday morning in November, you can hear a cheerful babble of voices in the corridors of Iso Omena Shopping Centre. They belong to a group of senior citizens who have convened for their weekly shopping centre walk.

This is one of the group walks for special groups and senior citizens arranged on Tuesdays from October to March.

“We start with an initial warm-up at our assembly point at the Iso Omena library. During the walk, we stop to make some muscle strength and balance exercises. We end the walk with a short warm-down,” says sports instructor Susanna Lundqvist, who guides the walks.

This time the walk has brought together a group of 13 people – sometimes there are almost 20 participants.

“This is a good-sized group. It leaves enough space for us to move easily around the corridors of the shopping centre, which are still quiet in the morning,” says Lundqvist.

A group that walks briskly and stops for occasional exercise sessions attracts the attention of passers-by.

“People often stop us and ask what on earth are we doing. Sometimes, someone joins us for a walk,” Sirkku Dölle, one of the walkers says.

Dölle has participated in shopping centre walks since they were first introduced. The active lady also attends weekly chair exercise sessions organised at the library.

“I already joined the test walk that the City of Espoo arranged to see whether there would be enough participants. Since then, I have participated in these walks every week. I’ve made lots of new acquaintances here,” Dölle says.

Arja Kivi is also an enthusiastic shopping centre walker who started the hobby when she still lived in Tapiola. After moving to Matinkylä, she has attended the walks in Iso Omena.

“It’s a great thing from the City of Espoo that they organise this kind of walks. The best parts of these walks are the sense of community and like-minded people,” says Kivi.

In addition to Iso Omena, shopping centre walks are also organised in Sello, where the activity started in 2014. The walks are an ongoing activity during the winter season, when outdoor exercise can be challenging for many. Indoors, people don’t need to be afraid of slipping. Combining walking with observing the environment and chatting with a friend also improves movement control.

According to Lundqvist, people are also welcome to join with an assistive device, such as a walker.

“We take people walking at different paces into account. Everyone can move according to their own ability.”

This is a low-threshold walking group that you can take part in every week or when it suits you. The group starts and ends the walk together, but you can leave in the middle of it if you want.

Both the shopping centre and the library have been involved in organising the walks. The latter provides, for example, a locked storage space for walkers’ outdoor clothes.

“The key purpose of shopping centre walks is to bring people together and provide them with an opportunity for encounters and socialisation,” Lundqvist summarises.