ShareThisSpring is peak pupping season at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, Calif. This means Beth Wise, 45, of San Francisco, will be lifting and feeding newborn sea lions and elephant seals. It is heavy lifting, which is why Wise hired a personal trainer.
Excerpts from an interview:
Why: "I love working with the seals. It's very exciting, and the seals really challenge you. They are very intelligent and strong animals. It takes a lot of strength and focus to work there."
Greatest accomplishment: "I lost 20 pounds since I started volunteering. I am in better shape and healthier in my 40s then when I was in my 20s or 30s."
Gear you can't live without: "The herding boards with handles that we use to help guide the seals around and also shield us from them so they don't bite us."
Most annoying thing people assume about athletes in your sport: "That it is all glamorous like in the movies. Ha, ha. It is physically challenging and the animals smell."
Advice you'd give a rookie: "I recommend core exercises. It takes balance and strength to do this work. Also, be sure to focus on the animals and not what others are doing as you can get hurt."
For more information: www.marinemammalcenter.org.
(E-mail swhiting(at)sfchronicle.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit the San Francisco Chronicle
