It’s 9 a.m., and the sounds of Bill Withers’ R&B classic “Lovely Day” reverberate through a nearly empty Malvern Town Centre. The Scarborough mall doesn’t open for another hour, but already more than 30 senior citizens have turned the food court into a makeshift gym. Three times a week, this is the routine for the members of the group who have branded themselves as the “Malvern Mall Walkers.” “One, two, three! Walk it out,” shouts Mary Pink, the 76-year-old leading the morning workout. On her command, the group splits off. Some walk while some do stationary exercises. Uniformity isn’t the point; showing up is. “This is invigorating,” Pink told CTV News Toronto. “We laugh a lot. We laugh at ourselves. There’s no mistakes here.” The group has been meeting for over 20 years. The exact starting point has become a subject of local lore. But there’s no debating the sense of community they’ve established. “We always call each other to find out if everyone’s OK, if they need anything,” said Mavis Rajaram, an 81-year-old who’s been part of the group since 2008. “This group means a lot to each other.” The support goes beyond encouraging one another to finish a set of exercises. The group collects donations, funding trips to northern Ontario, Niagara Falls, and more than a few casinos. They said money also helps out members suffering from failing health. “We’ve learned so much from one another,” said 77-year-old Bev Dixon, a walker since 2013. “When one of our members passes away, we go to the funeral and stand together like an honour guard, wearing our mall walkers t-shirts.” On the morning CTV Toronto visited, we spoke to a number of participants who credit the tri-weekly workouts with improving their health, mobility and outlook on life. The science backing the benefits of movement for seniors is extensive, touting both mental and physical advantages as we age. “I was a diabetic for 41 years,” said Seeta Singh, a 70-year-old who’s been a part of the Malvern Mall Walkers for three years. “Now I’m pre-diabetic.” At the beginning of the morning session, Zelda Drummond was seated, not wanting to be far from her cane and walker. By the time the morning workout ended, she was dancing, doing what she could with what she had. “In 2010, I had a stroke,” Drummond explained. “I just try to keep moving.” Rumours of a redevelopment of the mall are in the back of everyone’s mind, but they vow to carry on, regardless of venue. “This is the best medicine you can get,” said 80-year-old Vijay Sharma. “If you can be carefree, even for a few minutes, that’s the elixir of life.”
