“Last year at this time I weighed 190lbs, it was the heaviest I’ve ever been. This year I am proud to say I am at 145, I’ve lost 45lbs and it all started with Walk with your Doc.” —Dr Leo Dai, Board Chair of the Burnaby Division of Family Practice
Every year on the week of May 12, hundreds of BC doctors invite their patients, friends, families, colleagues, and community to join in the Walk with your Doc event. Now entering its 15th year, Doctors of BC established Walk with your Doc, a weeklong event in which doctors host walks in their communities. This event began back in 2010 as part of a commitment to improve the health of British Columbians.
Walk with your Doc is a fun, simple way for doctors to engage with their community. It provides a space to celebrate the physical benefits of active lifestyles, and the mental health benefits of sharing the experience with others. It also gives them the chance to practice what they preach to many of their patients—being active can lead to better health outcomes.
For many years, the walk in Burnaby has become a staple for the community. If the blustery showers bothered the crowd this year, no one noticed as laughs, smiles, and enthusiasm were on full display.
At this year’s walk, Dr Leo Dai, Board Chair of the Burnaby Division of Practice spoke candidly about his Walk with your Doc experience, saying, how 2024 “was a very difficult time for me, both personally and professionally.” He described his stress and burn out from continually sacrificing his own health and sleep to gain more time at work. “In the short term it may seem like a good idea, but in the long run we’re killing ourselves,” he explained.
Dr Dai continued: “When I gave my speech last year at Walk with your Doc…I was a doctor speaking and not walking the talk, realizing I’m not being a role model to my patients.”
He decided to make a change by taking 30 minutes each day to walk 3,000 steps. He told himself, “I believe in incremental change. I am going to increase the step count by 1% each day and, it will compound.” As the step count increased, he found he could not walk fast enough to get his steps in, so he started jogging, and then running.
The compound effect, like compound interest on an investment, led him to lose 45 lbs and proudly ask for a smaller size of the Walk with your Doc shirt to wear to this year’s walk. Several of his colleagues and patients laughed in agreement as Dr Dai added, “Everyone who knows me knows this is my favourite shirt. If you ever see me, I’m either in scrubs…or this shirt!”
Dr Dai’s story is one we are proud to share as a motivator to others who might need a little nudge to start walking or sign up for Walk with your Doc in the coming years. Doctors of BC is proud to continue its health promotion work to help doctors, patients, and all British Columbians prioritize their own health and well-being.
