Mall-Walking: One Way to Stay In Shape

Mall-walking provides easy orientation and protection from the elements, not to mention safe walking surfaces. If you feel tired, you can almost always find a bench or a coffee shop close by. Window shopping offers a generous antidote to boredom, and bathroom facilities are never too far.

“Mallercise’’, however, is still a novelty in Britain, because they only have only a handful of venues large enough to provide a reasonable circuit. Americans have been at it since the first enclosed shopping centres appeared 50 years ago.

At Bluewater the mall walks are organised by Nhaylene Hussein of Sweaty Betty, a chain keen to be seen promoting women’s fitness. On alternate Sundays she leads an hour’s march through the mall, where one circuit of the two floors is equivalent to a mile. Sweaty Betty provides bottled water and a variety of incentives: a free vest after five walks, a sizeable discount on trainers after 10.

Will mall-walking catch on in Britain? With even the largest malls counting its devotees in dozens, it remains to be seen. But mall-walking provides an attractive alternative to the monotony of the treadmill at the gym.