Two HMC employees set example for healthy living

Two Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) employees are setting the standard for healthy living through their love of exercise. Dr Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Bone and JointCentrer, and John Smith, project manager, Support Services with HMC’sAmbulance Service, have a passion for endurance sports. Dr al-Kuwari is a keen cyclist who first took up the sport after beingintroduced to it by one of the surgeons who taught him at university inCanada. “I noticed that he was never tired and I asked him how he managed this.He told me that he cycled to stay fit and it helped him focus at work.So I bought a bike and began cycling with him and from there my passionfor the sport was born,” Dr al-Kuwari said. Following a 27-year career in the British military, for which endurancerunning was part of his job, Smith was encouraged by friends to run theOoredoo marathon in 2014, the first formal marathon he had entered. “Though I hadn’t done any formal training for the marathon, it was abrilliant experience. I’ve since completed the Ooredoo marathon everyyear and to challenge myself I now look for marathons in variouscountries around the world. In the past four years I’ve completed 14marathons, including in China, Jordan, Myanmar, and Switzerland,” Smithsaid. Dr al-Kuwari also combines his passion for cycling with travel and hastaken part in many road and off-road cycling events around the world. “I have travelled to more than 20 countries for various cycling events.My most recent challenge was cycling 400km across Cambodia with 14friends,” said Dr al-Kuwari. “One of my proudest accomplishments was achieved through the GlobalBiking Initiative, which organises cycling events across differentcountries in Europe. With other members of the Qatar Cyclists group, ofwhich I am the chairman, we have raised over QR4mn to build a school inGaza,” he added. Smith offered some advice for people wanting to get involved in sport or regular exercise for the first time. “People need to overcome the psycho-social barriers and believe thatthey can do it. Setting a goal is a great way to motivate yourself, evenif the initial goal is to walk just 500m. From there it’s simply a caseof progressing and increasing the goal gradually. Don’t think you can’tdo it, you really can,” Smith said. Both sportsmen believe that physical activity has had a positive influence on their health and their overall lives. “Cycling has really changed me as a person. It gives me a lot ofpositive thoughts and helps me perform better in other aspects of mylife and work. As a surgeon, I have to stand and concentrate for manyhours at a time and cycling has really improved my endurance and focus,enabling me to become a better surgeon,” Dr al-Kuwari added.“By holding several programmes for the National Sport Day for allsections of the society, Qatar is advocating a healthier and more soundcommunity. HMC is keen to develop a healthy population in the country,”said Nayef al-Shammari, assistant executive director of media, HMC.