BODY WATCH : Running on Instinct

My favorite downtime activity has resulted in sprained knees, twisted ankles and broken fingers. It’s an activity after which I frequently need more downtime to recover. I play pickup basketball. It satisfies the little voice in the back of my head that nags me to exercise, and the gym provides a place for guys to be guys. But the most compelling reason: Basketball is played almost completely on instinct. And for me, an auditor whose sedentary working world is full of numbers and analysis, the joy of play using little more than boyish impulse is irresistible.

--ROBERT STOCK, Calabasas