While many believe that age is a burden or even a slow physical decline, this 62-year-old Singaporean woman proves otherwise and defies preconceived notions. She sprints through ramps and leaps over jumps with the agility of a toddler. Far from having rusty joints and a body worn down by the years, she performs parkour moves like a true parkour expert. It's good to grow old.
Somersaults and high jumps at 62
While twenty-year-olds are already complaining of back pain and neuralgia in their fingers, this sixty-year-old with graying hair is bursting with energy and moves like a ninja. In the collective imagination, 60 is the age of crossword puzzles, strolls through the market, meditation sessions, and long naps in the rocking chair.
Many people believe that their sixties are "the beginning of the end," a frenetic period where the slightest misstep can cause a fracture and where television becomes a full-fledged hobby. Yet, in reality, people in their sixties are sometimes more active and dynamic than younger generations.
Sing is a prime example of vitality. She doesn't carry a cane, but she seems to be powered by springs. The 62-year-old Singaporean, a former master of lindy hop, a highly acrobatic dance style, proves that seniors aren't just good at knitting or Scrabble. She crawls under nets, performs a series of rolls on the asphalt, scales low walls, and climbs street furniture without ever showing a sign of fatigue.
Far from being a burden she struggles to carry, her body accompanies her through this demanding street sport. This parkour circuit is almost a walk in the park for this senior citizen, a true free spirit. While her gray hair betrays her age, her body has retained the agile reflexes of childhood.
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Circuits specially adapted for seniors
Generally, seniors fill their free time relaxing in spas or practicing lotus pose on foam mats. When they're not doing water aerobics with pool noodles, they're gardening while whistling or putting the world to rights with a ball of yarn in their hands. At least, that's what the advertisements would have us believe, as if there were an age limit for thrills and daring activities.
In Singapore, the organization "movement" offers a different kind of entertainment, less conventional and more fun. It introduces seniors to parkour with customized classes and adapted programs. It's a bit like the playgrounds we roamed as children, but in a more "mature" version. Here, it's not blond heads, but white heads that contort themselves between obstacles and confidently leap over metal structures. This is where Sing, the most badass grandma on the internet, trains and rivals Lara Croft's moves. Better than a fitness center, it's her fountain of youth, her space for vitality.
Age is primarily a state of mind.
Sing leaps over physical barriers, but also mental ones. Weaving between the flashy bollards of these senior citizen parks and climbing lampposts and scaffolding, she tramples preconceived notions about age. She's dedicated to a niche sport, rarely promoted to older audiences. And just watching her, you feel the aches and sweats right there with her. You almost feel like a slug next to her.
Sing imparts a valuable life lesson through his performances: age is just a number and it doesn't determine our worth, much less our health. Moreover, parkour, beyond its technical skill and cool factor, is a complete sport. It builds endurance, tones muscles, and maintains balance, all while having fun. Better still, it preserves that childlike spirit, which can't be restored with "anti-aging" creams.
While Sing is busy with parkour, other grandmothers are skydiving, traveling the world, and getting their motorcycle licenses. It's not too late to check off those things we left on our teenage wishlists. In short, that's what living life to the fullest is all about.
