A closer look at our very own Bill Gates
Bill and his family are in New York City. They walk from 32nd Street to Lexington talking and jabbering on their way to the restaurant. Then Sophie stops and says, “Where’s Dad?”
They turn around and there he is, pivoting around the corner to ease the pain in his hip. He posts on his left leg while shuffling on his right until he’s going the right direction. That ninety- degree turn is not easy.
“I’m coming,” he yells as he hobbles down the sidewalk. The family doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Bill Gates working on the Pilates Hundred Exercise in a Saturday Pilates Class.
It was not always so.
Bill was born an athlete. He played football as a kid and into high school, and rugby from high school to college to graduate school and on two alumni teams where his “golden toe” helped his teams win championships that put him on All Star rugby squads. He was able and fast. And along the way, he ran.
He ran on the beach from Del Mar to UCSD in college. He ran around the pool at the gym at Yale when in grad school, around and around when the weather was bad and he couldn’t get outside. He ran in the smog in Pasadena when he worked at the Jet Propulsion Lab. He ran with his dogs in the Santa Lucias on weekends. The more he ran, the farther he wanted to go.
And so he did. Bill completed 34 marathons, a 50-mile race and two Boston to Big Sur back-to-back marathons. But his running took a toll on his hip, and while he denied the pain for a few years, he finally checked it out. Yes, in 2011, Bill had hip resurfacing surgery. With recommendation from his surgeon, he was “encouraged” not to run anymore. It was a physical and emotional diagnosis.
Running was his identity (other than having the best wife ever). How would he get the endorphins that fed him each day, that moderated his stress, that kept his weight down?
Bill floundered for a few years, but was able to take yoga which helped with his lack of flexibility. But he needed more.
And then he found DSTT. It has changed his life.
Bill does not lack for discipline and never has. He attends strength classes five days a week, goes to Pilates on Saturdays, and walks every day for 60-90 minutes. He only misses classes when he travels. Bill loves the classes at DSTT and says the worst part is getting up early to attend before work. (Really? Worse than Burpies?)
And what does he like most about DSTT?
“Class times, caring and expert coaching, supportive participants, and programs that support all- around and functional fitness. It meets my desire for overall fitness in an encouraging environment with workout partners who are supportive but supportively challenge one another.”
DSTT Community Potluck at Cindy and Bill Gates’s House
Oh, and he’s learning to tame his hip flexors in Pilates. At first Bill was reticent to take a class, but now he’s a fan (especially now that he’s learned how to put his feet in the straps without falling off the reformer). While he’s a beast in strength classes, Bill has found new challenges in the Saturday Pilates classes. “Nothing gets me sweating faster than table top.” The stretching and isolated muscle exercises afford him a new way to challenge and strengthen his body. For that reason, Bill encourages others to try Pilates too. He considers strength and Pilates complementary activities.
“My overall conditioning and my confidence in what my body can accomplish is better than ever. I had confidence in my endurance when running, but now I have confidence in my overall strength and fitness.”
Does Bill now lead the family when walking to dinner? No. But at least they don’t have to wait for him to turn corners, thanks to a little surgery and DSTT.