From my earliest days growing up on a farm in Ontario, I’ve always loved physical activity. Mastering different sports and skills became — and remains — an obsession.
Whether I’m at home in the Bahamas, Florida or Canada, chances are you’ll find me doing at least one of these activities every day:
1) Padel: That’s not a typo. I first fell hard for this racquet sport at Albany in The Bahamas. Not to be confused with paddle or platform tennis, padel is played on a court that’s roughly 25% smaller than a standard tennis court. The court also has walls that you can play balls off, similar to squash. Try it for five minutes and you’ll understand why this sport is 100% addictive. Watch this teaser.
2) Stand up paddle boarding: My favorite summer activity when I’m in Canada on the lake in Ontario’s Kawarthas region. It’s an amazing way to get up close with nature, explore hidden waterways and shorelines, and get a solid core workout at the same time.
3) Horseback riding: My first love, and one that has led to many exciting ventures in my life, including owning a polo team and opening equestrian centers to share this passion with others. [Speaking of which, let me insert a shameless plug for BG Equestrian Vero Beach for any Florida readers or visitors looking for a full-service equestrian facility. Check out our riding camps for kids!]
4) Tennis: No matter which home base I’m operating from, I’m never far from a tennis court. The late David Foster Wallace said it best: “I submit that tennis is the most beautiful sport there is and also the most demanding. It requires body control, hand-eye coordination, quickness, flat-out speed, endurance, and that weird mix of caution and abandon we call courage.”
5) Ping pong: I know, I know, this is the third activity on this list that involves a paddle or racquet, but I have to include it because it is synonymous with family and friends for me. I can’t tell you how many family gatherings and intimate dinner parties have ended with various pairings of guests sweating and trash talking while blasting a spinning plastic ball at each other. It doesn’t get any better!
Whatever your favorite physical activities are, I hope you get to enjoy them extensively this summer!