We’re getting ready to salute the Health Heroes of the Vancouver Games – everyone from the fans and volunteers to the medical staff and…of course…the Olympians! We’ll be joined by Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan, Martin Brodeur, and Angela Ruggiero.
If you’re on the ground tweeting about the event, add the #healthymagination tag.
Stay tuned for live blogging and tweeting in a bit!
10:11 AM Pacific/1:11 PM Eastern
The event is underway. Mike Barber has taken the stage. “With healthymagination, we want to further define what it means to live a healthy lifestyle.” He’s showing the crowd the new Vscan, a handheld device for on-site ultrasound.
10:16 AM Pacific/1:16 PM Eastern
Mike has introduced the panel of Olympians: Michelle Kwan, Scott Hamilton, Angela Ruggiero and — the crowd favorite — Canadian Martin Brodeur.
Dr. Jack Taunton, Chief Medical Officer of the 2010 Games, is now speaking. More than 1,500 Healthy Heroes have volunteered to make the Olympics possible.
10:21 AM Pacific/1:21 PM Eastern
Michelle is taking questions. She’s having a great time in Vancouver! She’s asked how she maintains a healthy lifestyle. “When I was in the Olympics, it was my job to be in shape. Now I have to make it a priority to get healthy, work out, get enough sleep…” Her dad’s advice? “Just remember to take care of yourself.”
10:25 AM Pacific/1:25 PM Eastern
Martin Brodeur is up next. “When you go out every day to perform, you have to take care of yourself. A healthy lifestyle is not just exercise, it’s an attitude.” (Well said!)
10:28 AM Pacific/1:28 PM Eastern
And here’s Angela Ruggiero. “If you feel good as an athlete, it translate to everything else in life. Find your motivation…what’s your passion? Mine is hockey.” It’s all about figuring out what your goals are and maintaining balance.
10:31 AM Pacific/1:31 PM Eastern
Now it’s Scott Hamilton’s turn. “There are so many men who feel like they are bullet proof. Women are better at being vigilant with their health.” Interesting.
Now he’s talking about how cancer helped him learn to be vigilant. Because he paid attention to his body and asked his doctors’ questions, he was treated early on. He mentions his kids — a two-year-old and a six-year-old. He wants to be around for them. (Love this guy!)
10:38 AM Pacific/1:38 PM Eastern
Back to Dr. Taunton. He’s talking about state-of-the-art MRI technology, a CT scan, ultrasound, so many improvements in technology. They’re able to look at micro tears in tendons and treat them right away. The recovery time for athletes is so much faster because of this.
10:41 AM Pacific/1:41 PM Eastern
Now we’re getting some questions from the Healthy Heroes in the crowd. Michelle and Scott are questioned on skating injuries. Scott says most of these are self-inflicted. Michelle says no one is body-checking her (ha). Martin is asked how he knew the Swiss hockey player was going to glove slide (the crowd cheers!). He tells them it was a lucky guess.
10:46 AM Pacific/1:46 PM Eastern
Now the Healthy Heroes are off for a group skate. When wrapping up, Mike Barber is asked how non-Olympic athletes (or everyday people) can take a proactive role in being healthy. He points to healthymagination.com and talks about small steps we can all take…it’s all about initiative.
11:25 AM Pacific/2:25 PM Eastern
Phew! In closing, Mike Barber said today was “a fantastic kick-off event! The gold medal athletes are great role models to all, not just for their many accomplishments, but also for making the commitment to lead a healthy lifestyle.” Agreed.
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