Four strong ways to make you,
well, stronger
The secret of exercise is doing
something you like. Here's why some docs can't wait
for the good weather
By Tara Allen
The warm weather is here, time
to get away from the practice and on to the rivers,
lakes, trails and sidewalks
of this great country. Your body
has been locked up inside most of the winter. It wants
out. It wants to move, feel the heart pound and the
adrenaline rush. You're the doctor, your body's the
patient and the patient wants to go, go, go.
Exercise, of course, can be a pain
in the arms and legs � and elsewhere. The trick is to
really get into it with panache. More and more of your
colleagues are doing just that. A few years ago a Montreal
hematologist quit his lucrative hospital-based practice
in Montreal and moved to Victoria. Why? Because he wanted
to windsurf year-round. A Toronto physician plans to
move to the Muskoka Lake District within the next five
years so he can be in a kayak on white water within
30 minutes of his office. A Regina doctor is set on
settling in the Rockies so she can ski in the winter
and mountain bike in summer. In Edmonton, a 52-year-old
surgeon is just as keen on the sport she took up seriously
18 months ago � walking.
To keep themselves motivated, all
of these physicians devote energy to their chosen sport
both when they're doing it and by keeping with the latest
trends and gear. The plethora of material in specialized
magazines and on the net makes it easy and, if it's
your passion, a lot of fun.
WINDSURFING
Your colleagues who windsurf recommend that you begin
by taking lessons and renting equipment. "The boards
and sails are changing all the time," says a Victoria
specialist. "It depends what you want to do. I've gone
through over a dozen boards in the last five years.
If I was starting now I'd rent for the first year and
try everything out there."
These changes are making boards
are much small, sleeker and easier to handle. To find
out just about all you need to know about the sport
see www.windsurfingmag.com.
KAYAKING
Here's another sport that's changed radically in the
last five years. Smaller, lightweight kayaks are much
easier to handle and gear comes in all the latest colours.
Fabrics are designed to keep you dry and warm. Hoary
veterans fret that popularity is ruining their sport
and it's true that good runs near larger cities tend
to be crowded on weekends. Still there's more white
water in Canada than nearly anywhere else. Also, kayaks
aren't just for shooting rapids. Families on both coasts
take ocean kayaking holidays on water safe enough for
toddlers. Those in the know strongly suggest renting.
Want to know more? Go to www.kayakonline.com
.
MOUNTAIN
BIKING
Hikers hate bikers perhaps because they've never tried
it. The sheer exhilaration of speeding over a trail
through the trees on a souped-up bike is a blast, say
those doctors who do it. High-geared bikes make the
climbs less gruelling and disk brakes and front and
rear suspension ease the bumps and make the adrenaline
pumping descents easier and safer. Bikers do tend to
get beat up a bit so take it easy on your first outings.
There's a dazzling array of equipment to choose from
� the latest are single-gear mountain bikes. Again we
suggest renting, for the first season at least. Have
a yen for it? Check out www.mountain bike.com and go
down to your local bike shop for a chat. Cyclists like
to talk about their sport as much as golfers.
WALKING
The latest Health Canada recommendations tell Canadians
to walk 10,000 paces a day. Office-bound physicians
can expect to squeeze in 3,500 if they're lucky. To
launch your walking career, outfit your feet with a
good pair of walking shoes, suit up in some comfortable
sports clothes, strap on a pedometer, open the front
door and you're off. The Alberta surgeon started with
a quick walk around the block and now she's up to 90
minutes four times a week. For more, let your mouse
scurry to www.thewalkingsite.com.
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