8 September 2016
You know the importance of regular exercise. Maintaining your good health is as much about exercise as it is about diet. When it comes to your pet’s health, you look for pet food made with wholesome, natural ingredients that’s full of important vitamins. Your pet is eating well, but are they exercising enough?
Like us, pets need regular exercise in order to stay fit. Since you both require exercise, why not do it together? An excellent idea, we know. We’ve got some great ideas below on how you and your pet can help each other stay in shape!
Walking: You may take a short walk to the dog park to let your pup run around, or simply a short walk around the block, but a great way to get more exercise is to use this time walking your dog to your advantage. Take different routes, walk through parks, do some hiking or walk with a friend and their dog (you’d be surprised how long you can walk when you’re caught up in a great conversation!).
Running: Running with your pup can be a great way to ensure you both stay fit. If you’re new to running, however, it’s important that you start slow. This is especially true for your dog – they can seriously injure themselves if they start running long distances with no prior training. Start by mixing some running into your walking routine, and gradually increase the amount of running you mix in. There are many training programs available, both in print and online that can help you and your pet get into this routine. Running clubs are also a great option, and many clubs accept both humans and pets!
Swimming: On hot summer days, splashing around in cool water is refreshing and invigorating. Swimming is also excellent exercise. You may already love to swim, but perhaps your pup hasn’t really tried it yet. You may need to start slow to get your pet used to the water. By leading your dog to the water’s edge and encouraging them to wet their paws, you’ll be able to get a good sense of whether they’re interested in the water or not. If your pup seems to like it, try tossing a toy into the shallow area to further encourage them to get into the water. Ideally, you can soon start splashing around with your pet, getting great exercise for both of you.
Agility: If you’re someone who enjoys obstacle courses and gets a little bored with running in a straight line, agility may be a great option for you and your pet to enjoy. The nice thing about an agility course is that the pet parent always leads the dog through the course, meaning both you and your pup will get great exercise out of the agility course! Try looking up agility courses online in your own city to get started.
Doga & Purrlates: As in yoga for dogs. It’s true, puppies can also downward dog!. It comes naturally to them actually – if you’ve ever watched your pet stretch out in the sun, you can see their natural inclination to stretching their body out. Your pet may even help you improve your downward dog pose.
You can get fit with your cat too! Purrlates – as in pilates with cats – is a great way for both you and your feline friend to work that core so that you can get long, lean and strong.
Do you and your pet exercise together? What sort of activities do you do? We’d love to hear about it!