Saturday, August 11, 2012

Dear Doctor

I'm sorry I laughed at you. Well, not entirely sorry, but I think flinging my head back and guffawing at you was possibly more than the situation warranted.  I'm definitely switching doctors, though, because you're a jerk.  I'm sure you deserve to be laughed at.

Dr. Godcomplex: So, do you exercise?
Me: I do endurance riding on my horse, so once a month I go ride 50 miles in a day. The rest of the time, I ride maybe 2 hours at a time, three times a week.
Dr: Yes, but that's not exercise...
Me: :laughs: Because the horse does all the work, right?
Dr:  Well, yes.
Me: :gales of laughter: OK, sure.
Dr:  I mean, I rode a horse once, it was years ago, but it wasn't hard.  My back was sore but...
Me: :still laughing: Ok, sure, in that case, I don't exercise at all.

The rest of the visit went predictably poorly. I've heard of the "but the horse does all the work" argument, but I didn't think people still said it. I thought it was a thing of the past, like "women can't be scientists." That's really why I laughed; I could not believe he was seriously saying it.

***

Alas, although it wasn't exercise, I did make it back down to Santa Cruz to ride in the redwoods with another future endurance rider. I ran the downhills, very slowly, but still maybe 3.5-4 miles of running. I doubt it counts because surely the hill does all the work or something.

26 comments:

  1. "I doubt it counts because surely the hill does all the work or something."

    Well, yes. You just try not to fall over while gravity brings you down.

    TOO FUNNY! Definitely a new Dr. is in order.

    Bill

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  2. Well Funder - doctors generally do know everything*... and what they don't know isn't worth knowing.

    And you my friend, don't know diddly. Especially not about your own personal body. God forbid you read something online.

    Keep up the non-exercising! ;D

    (*bless the rare as a hen's tooth doctor that doesn't)

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  3. BWAHAHAHAHA!!! What a complete moron. Maybe you should invite him out for a 25 mile ride or so, and see how he feels if riding is exercise or not.

    However, you have a good point about the hills doing all the work when you're running downhill. ;)

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  4. I'd be switching doctors, too! Besides the muscles used in riding, there's tossing bales of hay, mucking out stables, cleaning tack......I never worked so hard, physically, as when I was looking after barn animals on a daily basis.
    Glad you still had time to get in a little non-exercising ride!

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  5. Oh dear. You should point him to the Weightwatchers material that gives a figure for calories burned horse riding. (I don't know the number, however it's significant.) I hope that you're well notwithstanding a doctor visit.

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  6. When I busted my knee, one of the doctors I saw told me I should exercise more... After I had already explained that when I injured myself, I had been working my intensively physical barn labor job for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. "Well sure," she said, "but I took up jogging and it's done wonders for my arthritis." Never saw HER again.

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  7. Well of course running isn't exercise if you run down hill...

    Dr. Feelgood should head on out to my arena and put our Fancy mare in a trot and keep her there for a good two miles or so. She's not push button and sees no reason for speed and wants your foot "right there" to keep going. I sweat and pant like a bitch after that session!

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  8. BAHAHAHAHA.
    *wipes tears of laughter away*
    Oh God.... I tell ya. Bahahah!

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  9. My leg and butt muscles sure hurt a lot when I ride for 2 hours, and my core muscles get sore. Guess I should exercise more.

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  10. funny! I'd switch doctors. I know people who don't even have the muscles to mount a horse.

    And yes! my trip to Nevada was FABULOUS! I did fall in love with Reno, although I spent most of my time in Spring Creek hanging out around the Ruby Mountains. But it was wonderful! I'm hopefully moving there with the horses come January!

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  11. Gah that makes my blood boil. >:@

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  12. I'd like to set that guy on Pangea when she gets to backcracking handstand rodeo bucking and have him tell me after trying to stay on that that it doesn't count as exercise!

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  13. I took a health/nutrition class years at at community college, and we had to keep an exercise log. I noted riding for 1-2hrs 6xweek. I got the sweetly sarcastic question in the margin from the instructor, "and what would you estimate your heart rate at when you're riding?"
    I replied (also in the margin), "at a relaxed walk on the trail, probably about the same as if I were walking myself. When my horse is trying to get away from me at a full gallop on the beach, I'm too busy to worry about anyone's heart rate."

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  14. I actually TOOK a doctor out riding once. Not my doctor, but definitely a knowitall (any other kind is rare). He knew that riding a bicycle was exercise and wanted to make sure that he got some, so he rode his bike out to the barn.

    Then we went out for a training loop, I dunno, maybe 8 miles? Maybe 2 hours? Not pushing hard, anyhow--and he was on the GAITED horse.

    I had to give him (and his bicycle) a ride back to town in my truck.

    Snerk.

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  15. A new doctor-or some further schooling for that doctor-is in order. Taking care of any animal is a lot of work-especially a 1000 pound or more horse! Also *love* it that people say "I went on a trail ride once a gabzillion years ago" means they know everything about every horse ever and every type of riding ever....grrr.

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  16. what a goof! I'm sure he thought you just sit there and walk around on the horse like a city slicker "trail ride" or something. Although, I work with a lady and her 10yr old daughter loooves horses and riding, but the lady won't let her ride and go to horse summer camps because it isn't enough exercise...! People are weird.

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  17. I'd definitely switch doctors! Years ago I remember my daughter's gym teacher telling her that riding wasn't exercise either. And this kid rode a few horses a day and mucked 50 stalls after school. I guess people who have been on a half mile trail ride at some point where the horses just walk along don't consider riding exercise.

    By the way you get lots more than I do and I still get sore once in a while. I think I'm going to have the horse or hills do the exercise for me from now on like you do then I might not get a sore muscles once in a while.

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  18. I recall my Dr. telling me I could go back to work (waitressing) in two days after a total hysterectomy. The nurse said (in front of Dr), "don't listen to him, he's stupid". I asked " do you think all waitresses carry are little notepads?".

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  19. ya - I've had doctors like that before. I'd like to see THEM come ride OUR horses.
    my non-horsie friend was the radio guy at the highway 89 crossing at Tevis this year. afterwards he told me, "I never realized how hard riders work - it's not just sitting on your butt in the saddle!" - ah - yeah! He wanted to be a doctor at one point... he's qualified now because he understands the riding thang!
    - The Equestrian Vagabond

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  20. In case I wasn't clear I mean the doc was an idiot.

    Anywho, there are plenty of fit doctors. Lord knows they can't all have graduated in the bottom 10%

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  21. Its the same here!!!!!!!!!!!!!Lol. People think `cos you sit on a horse, you dont do anything? Ha!

    I`ve gotten off after few endurance rides, and my legs are pretty pooped! Also just changed my doctor due to mis diagnosis, and the god complex!

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  22. good grief...what a loser he is! grin. Glad you laughed and are switching Dr.s...

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  23. here's a link to calories burned by sports, pretty low for riding, until you start TROTTING. But then, honestly, who trots, ever? You know, those long trail rides, you never actually trot! LOL.

    You should send that doctor's office a chart of different exercises with horse riding highlighted.

    http://calorielab.com/burned/?mo=se&gr=15&ti=Sports&wt=150&un=lb&kg=68

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