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Most people buy new clothes in the pursuit of obtaining the latest fashion or due to the wear and tear of older articles of clothing. For me, it was because I could not fit into my clothes, especially my trousers. My waist size increased rapidly. At one point, I was over 80 kilograms. I realized then that I had to do something about it. I started a slimming program, where l lost 7 – 8 kg within a month. Knowing that I could not go back to my former living habits, I started to exercise by running and going to the gym. With my persistence, I lost more weight. However, due to the lack of structured exercise programs and having to exercise alone, I eventually started to get bored. I started skipping my exercise routine until I stopped exercising altogether. My weight gain resumed.

In 2007, 365 Cancer Prevention Society introduced their Lymphatic Detox exercise program. I thought of giving it a try. I got a friend to join me early every morning. We would travel from Simei to Kampong Java Park to learn from the instructors. It got off to a messy start. At times, there were nearly a 100 people joining the session which resulted in us not being able to learn in detail. After attending sessions for about a month, we started to do it by ourselves. Although we were unsure of the routines, we still tried to do as much as we could. Soon, some neighbours, who knew of the Lymphatic Detox exercise program asked if they could join us. Of course, we were more than happy for them to do so. Our little group of 10 soon ballooned to nearly 60 members. Many residents had not known each other despite having lived in the same neighbourhood for years. With the Lymphatic Detox exercise program, they started to make new friends, many eventually becoming good friends. Later, when the instructional video was available, I started to self-learn in more detail, sharing these lessons with my neighbours. We improved. Many members started to feel that their health was improving. Some members started to introduce their families and friends from other neighbourhoods to us. That is how we started to expand the exercise programs in the neighbourhoods, from Tampines to Simei to Pasir Ris and further afield.

Initially, I’d had some health problems. I suffered from motion sickness whenever I travelled by air or sea. When I had to travel abroad to Batam for work, the trip would have me needing rest for about an hour upon arrival before I could start work. Whenever I travelled by air, the slightest turbulence would cause me to feel nauseous. At times, I’d also feel very giddy. Unable to move, many times, I would have to lie flat in the bed for hours. Sometimes, I would even need to be sent to the hospital where, after some injections and rest, I would be discharged. I had these episodes 1 to 2 times a year. After doing the Lymphatic Detox exercise program for about a year, such attacks stopped and my motion sickness became far less severe and almost non-existent. Although there was no clear evidence that indicated it was due to the Lymphatic Detox exercise program, I believe it had helped me.

Some organizations heard of the Lymphatic Detox exercise program and invited us to introduce the program to their employees. As I was not authorized to lead the Lymphatic Detox exercise program, I informed the 365 Cancer Prevention Society of the interest these organizations had in their program. The Society arranged to have their leaders introduce the program to the interested parties. After frequent contact with the society, I was eventually invited to volunteer. I was to introduce and demonstrate the Lymphatic Detox exercise program to more organizations. That was how I started my volunteerism with the 365 Cancer Prevention Society. Being a volunteer has given me the opportunity to better myself and improve on my knowledge and familiarity with the program. I’ve had to understand and master the exercises in order to introduce and share them with others.

It has been more than 10 years since I started partaking in the Lymphatic Detox exercise program. I am grateful to the society for actively promoting the program to so many people over the years. There are now many places all over the country doing the Lymphatic Detox exercise program regularly. There are many exercises groups around the neighbourhood these days but many of our members still faithfully attend our Detox exercise sessions together. I believe many people know that exercise is good for health and want to exercise but many aren’t able to find the right exercise to fit their routine or their physical conditions. Lymphatic Detox exercise is a series of light stretching exercises that many can practice. Because of this program and my volunteerism with the Society, I am now able to continue exercising every day.