Since I started working from home three months ago, I’ve taken the term “sedentary lifestyle” to a new level — getting up only to walk to the bathroom, kitchen or bedroom. 

In an effort to clock more steps, I looked up beginner-friendly walks and came across The Kallang Story: A Sports, Arts and Heritage Trail, an educational walking trail littered with nuggets of local history. 

Launched by the Singapore Sports Hub in May last year, the trail is split into three parts — the Waterfront Trail, Stadium Trail and Park Trail — and takes visitors to landmarks in the Kallang area, both past and present. There are 18 heritage markers on the trail, which counts towards approximately 4,000 steps.

Interest piqued, I dusted off my trainers, donned a mask and embarked on the trail last weekend. I started with the Waterfront Trail, which stretched along the waterfront facing the Kallang Basin.

Drinking in the breathtaking view of the city skyline from the waterfront. PHOTO: CHERYL LEONG

On this trail, fittingly, I learnt about our history and achievements in water sports. Previously, all I knew was that Joscelin Yeo was crowned Singapore’s swim queen in the 1990s and Joseph Schooling brought home the country’s first Olympic gold medal in 2016.

But way before that, water sports were already popular in Singapore since the early 19th century. From the annual New Year Regattas, which began in 1834 and went on for 128 years, to contemporary activities like canoeing, sailing and dragon boating, water sports’ popularity remains strong. 

I walked on, admiring the spectacular view of Singapore’s city skyline, until I came to the National Stadium. There, a pair of majestic Merdeka Lions — symbols of Singapore’s heritage and independence — greeted me.

The replicas of the Merdeka Lions stand guard at the National Stadium and are the perfect place to take a break and take a selfie while walking the trail. PHOTO: CHERYL LEONG

From there, the Stadium Trail wound around the National Stadium, its former iteration itself an iconic piece of Singapore’s history. It had hosted world-class sporting events, such as the 1983 and 1993 Southeast Asian Games, as well as numerous National Day Parades, before it was demolished in 2010 to make way for the Singapore Sports Hub. 

At this point, I discovered that a large section of the Stadium Trail, along with the first half of the Park Trail, are currently closed so I had to take a slight detour around OCBC Arena — a multi-purpose sports hall for badminton, volleyball and basketball, which has most notably seen a resurgence since the arena came about. 

Despite an overcast sky, I was enjoying the fresh air and wide open spaces. And as it was the first weekend of Singapore’s Phase 2 reopening, there were several small groups of families with young children, joggers and cyclists similarly relishing some outdoor time like me — all while keeping a safe distance from one another. 

Back on the Park Trail at Marker #16 (above), I learnt that the Kallang area also used to be home to the former Kallang Airport, which closed in 1955. What survives of the old runway is now the stretch of road at Old Airport Road and a service road inside Kallang Riverside Park. PHOTO: SINGAPORE SPORTS HUB

Moving on, I passed through the former Kallang Park, which housed some of Singapore’s most iconic entertainment facilities back in the day — such as the Wonderland Amusement Park, Oasis Theatre Restaurant, Nightclub and Cabaret, Kallang Cinema (which was Singapore’s largest cinema then) and Leisure Drome. 

After looping around OCBC Arena, my trail merged with the second part of the Park Trail at Marker #15, alongside Stadium MRT Station. From there, it was a short walk to my final stop in front of the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

A quick check of my Apple Watch revealed that I had spent almost an hour on a 3.35km walk and clocked a total of 7,624 steps for the day. More importantly, it had taken away some of the edginess I’d been experiencing and left me feeling energised, albeit a bit sweaty. 

My fitness tracker was put to good use for the first time in almost three months. Under my Workout options, I picked Outdoor Walk. PHOTO: CHERYL LEONG

More than that, the trail had helped me cultivate a newfound appreciation for our unsung sporting legacy, and I was glad to have developed a better understanding of my own country’s history.

This spurt of activity has also spurred me to continue making small strides towards being fit again. With the gradual reopening of sports and recreational facilities in Singapore, I’m looking forward to enjoying my favourite activities like rock climbing and cycling once more. 

For now, I’ll continue my momentum with Singapore Sports Hub’s series of virtual workouts called the 7x7 experience. These short — but challenging — seven-minute exercises allow me to build them easily into my daily routine for a week. More programmes are also in the works, as Singapore Sports Hub celebrates its fifth anniversary this month.

And to mark my first step on my renewed journey to fitness, I’ll be giving The Kallang Story: A Sports, Arts and Heritage Trail another go when it fully opens again just to complete the whole experience.

Note: Cheryl Leong is a writer with Singapore Press Holdings’ content marketing unit.