How Mall Walkers Turned Shopping Centres Into Fitness Clubs
Seniors discovered that malls offered something surprisingly useful: a safe indoor walking track and a community that kept them coming back.
Athletes World
• For decades, mall walkers have turned shopping centres into indoor fitness tracks, using their flat floors, climate control and social atmosphere to stay active year-round.
Hours before the stores opened, the workout had already started.
By the 1980s, groups of mostly older adults were arriving at shopping malls early in the morning to walk laps. At Virginia’s Potomac Mills, the Rise and Shine Walking Club had more than 740 members by 1989. The stores were still closed, but the climate-controlled corridors were already busy. (The Washington Post, 1989)
It turned out malls had accidentally created an unusually practical fitness space for older adults.
By the 1980s, groups of mostly older adults were arriving at shopping malls early in the morning to walk laps. At Virginia’s Potomac Mills, the Rise and Shine Walking Club had more than 740 members by 1989. The stores were still closed, but the climate-controlled corridors were already busy. (The Washington Post, 1989)
It turned out malls had accidentally created an unusually practical fitness space for older adults.
