On the 19 March 2022, Lee Chok Sin and his buddy Jay Hu signed up for Round Island Route Phase 1 – 75KM with Deep Breathing Brisk Walking (DBBW) meetup group. There were 15 hikers who signed up for the same challenge and 10 hikers completed the challenge in less than 22 hours. Chok Sin and Jay Hu were among those hikers who completed the challenge. Chok Sin couldn’t imagine himself accomplishing it when more than one year ago, he couldn’t even brisk walk 10KM. David Phuah, the coach & organizer of DBBW, interviewed Chok Sin who is aged 70 on his extra ordinary accomplishment.
Why did you start to do brisk walking?
I seriously started to do brisk walking 10KM daily for 2 hours more than one year ago after the doctor told me that I needed insulin injection to bring down my average blood sugar level of 16. If I don’t do something about it now, I might end up doing dialysis or worst case a Kidney transplant. I got the blessings from the company that allow me to report to office late after my daily walk. My stamina improved tremendously month after month and was able to walk long distance without muscle cramp. In July last year I did a thorough check up include the scan of the kidney. Thank God my blood sugar level was down to average 6.2 for the last 3 months. My kidney function was normal. My high blood pressure and high cholesterol were back to ideal range. The doctor discharged me by giving me 6 months medicine and reduced dosage. Regular exercise by brisk walking is my best medicine now. I noticed that my health and physical condition have improved a lot including quality sleep and better bowel movement.
When did you learn DBBW techniques and how does it help you?
I learned the Deep Breathing Brisk Walking (DBBW) techniques from David Phuah in June 2019 at Singapore Sport Stadium. It really helps for long distance walking especially the deep breathing allows me to breath in more oxygen for energy enhancement and less fatigue. The posture and leaning forward the upper body help to walk more efficiently with less efforts. The DBBW techniques also help me to walk at faster pace of 5km per hour.
How do you feel about brisk walking 81KM in less than 22 hours?
I feel so proud about this amazing and fantastic achievement at my age which I think not many people would want to do it. The last 20KM before the finishing point at Rower’s Bay was really a battle between mental & psychological vs tiredness & sleepiness. I kept telling myself not to give up, otherwise all the efforts will be wasted. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our coach David Phuah and the other 8 walkers for this unforgettable accomplishment as a team.