In mid-June 2014, my travels took me to beautiful British Columbia for an exciting 4 city speaking tour. I was there to spread the word about the importance of exercise to health and encourage B.C. physicians to prescribe exercise like a medicine. My trip was arranged by Drs. Karim Khan and Heather McKay at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Center for Hip Health and Mobility.
My first stop on this roadshow was Vancouver, for a talk at UBC to staff members and trainees at the Center for Hip Health and Mobility. I spoke to them about the connection of exercise to health and the importance of prescribing walking to all patients. Of course I made time for a great walk in nearby Stanley Park, one of the most beautiful places to walk I know of.
With Dr Heather McKay
From there, I traveled to the beautiful city of Abbotsford where I was hosted by Dr. Adriaan Windt. He is a dedicated family physician who has been doing great things to connect fitness with healthcare in the local region. I got to meet with a wonderful group of local leaders and the next morning I gave a lecture to a group of local physicians and fitness professionals.
My next stop was the Okanagan Valley and scenic city of Kelowna, which is the Napa of Canada and home to incredible wines. While there we got to sample some great wine and I spoke to a group of local fitness professionals and physicians about the importance of a partnership to help get patients more active.
My last stop on the tour was the beautiful and remote Northern BC city of Prince George, where our local host and family physician Dr. Ann Pousette treated us to a great picnic lunch followed by a hike in the woods. I then got to speak at a dinner meeting with an amazing group of local civic, university and healthcare leaders, followed the next day by talks to University of Northern British Columbia School of Medicine Leaders and finally a dinner talk for University staff and the general public.
So it was a busy week in British Columbia, but an awesome opportunity to spread the word on the health benefits of walking and the need for physicians everywhere to think of exercise as a medicine they should be prescribing to every patient they see. I continue to be amazed at the interest and support around the world for the key messages that Every Body should Walk because Exercise is Medicine. I truly believe we can make the world healthier one person at a time by getting them to walk. Thank you for reading this blog and joining me on my quest to get patients moving.
Keep walking my friends!
Bob
