Twenty years ago, I took up hockey. Everyone else in my family played, and I wanted to join in the fun.

I never imagined that a recreational hockey league would become central to my health and wellness or contribute significantly to my professional success.

Most of my best hockey anecdotes involve comical failures. Once, after a teammate and I went for the puck simultaneously and collided spectacularly, we collapsed in hysterics so intense that our coach ordered us off the ice.

Another time, I was on a team with my daughter – an excellent athlete and hockey player. During one play I will never forget, she magnanimously let me have the puck, and I fell immediately, hard. As she swept gracefully by to retrieve the puck, she called out fondly, "oh, mom," evidently finding my ineptitude adorable. I lay in a mess on the ice and thought, “I’m so lucky to have this moment with her.”

And the people I met in the process! Toronto’s adult hockey leagues host some pretty competitive and feisty people, who also show one another enormous goodwill and support. We are all very different, and our diverse ideas, perspectives, values and priorities help me see the world in new ways. But the best thing about playing hockey is the total escape from everything except what is happening on the ice. I think of it as "focus lock.”

In the midst of a fast-paced game, it is impossible to think of anything else. Work stress, family concerns, anything that’s troubling me – it is all eclipsed by the immediate intensity of tracking the puck, keeping up with my teammates and trying not to hurt myself too badly.

That hour or two on the ice is like the magic feeling in the middle of a vacation when you have left your work concerns behind and are fully embracing the moment. It is the break I need to keep my body strong, and my mood stable. And playing hockey keeps me sharp, makes me a better leader and introduces me to new ideas.

How else can one take a break these days? Our devices are always on, and so are our brains. Without breaks, we lose energy, productivity and focus. For those of us who work in healthcare, the demands never cease. Busy jobs and a sedentary lifestyle can be challenging to counter. There is a real risk in my sector that people are sacrificing their health in favour of the work.

I try to model balance for my teams, but it is hard to shut down when so much is happening and so many people are counting on us. After a long, exhausting day, it is easy to be drawn to the couch. Hockey is my way of short-circuiting that cycle.

Of course, it does not have to be hockey. Any form and any amount of activity is beneficial. But if you can, try a sport or activity that locks your focus, challenges your agility and introduces you to people you would never otherwise meet. It will keep you grounded – sometimes literally.

For me, hockey doesn’t just require balance. It delivers it too.

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