• 

  For his own safety, Zeng regularly looks over his shoulder to check for obstacles in his path.

• 

  Every day, come rain or shine, Zeng will walk in reverse for 4 kilometers without fail.

Enlarge

MELAKA: 68 year old retired civil servant Zeng Yagu has an odd exercise regimen. Every day, he walks backwards barefoot for 4 kilometers. He has been doing so for 18 years now.

Zeng claims that this is to exercise his waist and at the same time massage the soles of his feet. Medical studies show that walking in reverse utilizes different muscle groups from the ones we use when walking forwards. Therefore, walking in reverse on a regular basis helps us to exercise muscle groups that aren't normally used and promotes more balanced muscular development.

When there is a blazing hot sun overhead, Zeng will carry a large umbrella with him to protect himself from ultraviolet rays, and on rainy days he will slip on boots to keep his feet dry. If the rain lets up halfway through his walk, he'll put the boots in a plastic bag slung over his shoulder and continue the rest of his walk barefoot.

Zeng said that his "exercise" method often got him odd looks from others, but added that his health was more important to him than the opinions of others.

When he first started his 'backwards' exercise routine, he felt sore all over and the soles of his feet hurt, but as time passed walking in reverse no longer posed a problem for him. In fact, he feels uncomfortable if he misses his daily routine.

Zeng said that if he walked normally, he could cover 4km in just 20 minutes. However, walking the same distance backwards takes him more than 2 hours, because he must constantly stop and look over his shoulder for cars and obstacles in his path.

But the old man considers the time well spent. Walking backwards helps him exercise his muscles, burn off calories and slow down his body's aging process. At the same time, walking barefoot massages the soles of his feet, so he doesn't need to buy a foot massager!

Zeng, who has studied in Taiwan and Australia, loves to read, and he read in a book that walking backwards was a common form of exercise in Western countries. Zeng suggested that Malaysians simply didn't read enough, which was why they thought his actions were odd.

Zeng firmly believes in the importance of good health. He said that by keeping fit and healthy, a person would avoid being a burden to the government and his relatives. Those who did not take care of their bodies while they were young would suffer the consequences as they grew older and were beset by all sorts of ailments.

Despite his advanced age, Zeng conducts all his affairs by foot. He usually takes any paperwork that needs to be processed along with him on his daily walk so he can get it handled along the way. He only drives his car about once a week, just to keep it running smoothly.

He also prepares his own meals and is very health conscious about his diet. After his lunch, he spends his afternoons reading in order to broaden his horizons.

In his own words, "knowledge to an individual is like nuclear armaments to a country. It's a means for self-defence."