I love to make best of my legs and feets for their actual purpose; walking, and yes, also running.

Oftentimes, I kind of flex it out too on my Strava. Just like everybody else too recently. According to Strava’s report in 2024, people’s perceptions of what it means to live an active lifestyle shifted; they favored balance over burnout, moving lifestyle towards more wellness conscious and outdoor activities related. No wonder that many people has turned into an “athlete” nowadays, including myself.

Since 2023, I began to run from couch to 5K. Greatest achievement I had in my life for starting a new activity that turned into a hobby. I guess running becomes something new and rare for myself, because I barely walk everywhere I go. Living in Indonesia, means you replaced your feet into wheels as you go everywhere by a motorcycle or a car or a bus or any other vehicles to reach your destination.

Back in 2022, I didn’t even met my step target every month, regardless that I commute to work everyday in Indonesia. Only on several months when I hit the monthly steps target, and it might be because I was going out for holidays. But still, it only exceeded a little bit of the steps target. Not until 2023, I decided to signed up for a 5K marathon in December 2023. I began to train to run.

At the Q3-Q4 of 2023, my monthly steps target always hit, and it is mostly because I always run after office. I still do my commute to work just like the previous months at the beginning to the mid of the year. However, I never hit the average of “10,000 steps a day” walking average regardless I doubled up my training and endurance for preparing myself for 5K run. Which was okay, I realized it is a gradual process. And I recognized I was (and probably am) still using ride hailing and vehicles everywhere I go.

Because it is fast and practical. But, do we actually need to be fast and practical? I don’t think so, because by means fast in corporate term can be very exploitative somehow.

Moving forward to 2024, I decided to run further to the 10K race in June 2024. A redemption 10K run because I fainted in 2021 because I was unprepared to hit the road as beginner to do the 10K run. But I know that my endurance and fitness has improved, therefore I am more confident to sign up to the same race I was fainted at first; Pocari Sweat Run 10K. In consequence, I recognized that my walking average is consistently increasing compared to when I just started my 5K. The daily steps average has improved 30% compared to 2023.

With the same behaviour, commuting on wheels, going out with a bike for walking distance, and still using public transport, it is such a big achievement for me.

And the plus point is, my fitness age decreased to 2 years younger as my VO2Max improved in 2024. I am impressed on how working out can do so much to my body.

However, this is not the point of the journey. Not until I moved to London and had a thought that I might not be running more often than I did back in Indonesia. It is kind of true, at some point. Well, I still run twice a week, but different commute, different behaviour, and most importantly, no ride hailing anymore. I just walk, everywhere I go. And the result is CRAZY.

I hit 10,000 steps average in a day and my fitness age improved. I have become 2 years younger than I should now according to my Garmin’s statistic. All because I move a lot throughout the year. Who ever thought of that?

Especially in June, I travelled to some of other places than London–from Birmingham, Leeds, Copenhagen, Malmö and Amsterdam– I realized I walked more than I averagely do. Mostly because of I need to save more by walking, but also the facilities and environment are supporting the comfort on walking on the pedestrian way.

But why didn’t I walk a lot in my hometown? Is it really because I was lazy and too comfortable by all the ease and vehicles privileges I had? Or is it because I was not comfortable to walk in this kind of situation? (yep, see the video below)

This is the usual pedestrian walk in Jakarta, yes, it is completely messy and not only totally belong to the pedestrians. It unlikely for everyone to feel safe with just two feets.

And not only that, the pollution and the congestion adds up to the pain. My dust allergy flares up very often when I went out in the street of Jakarta.

Blaming the environment and the people is an endless cycle of cynicism in the development of the Jakarta, as the urban problems becoming more complex and more significant everyday. This is not only the government problems, or the people’s problems, a group of pentahelix stakeholder should co-create and together help

Encouraging people to get together and collectively share their aspiration to improve the city required a space in order for them to feel respected, value and supported. Thus, it is important to find a way to circulate the creative impact and energy from people so the development might be accelerated immediately.