How have your pets helped you?

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Replies

  • ren_ascent
    ren_ascent Posts: 432 Member
    It's actually the other way around. My fat cat doesn't help me much in the health department, but learning more about nutrition and portion control from this site has made me do a double take at what/how much I feed him. I think it's too little too late though, he's an older gentleman (he's actually a grumpy old fart) and his health is declining in various aspects. I'll miss him when he's gone :cry:
  • ModernNerd
    ModernNerd Posts: 336 Member
    Oh boy mah kitteh is of zero help toward fitness. He's a diabetic, blind, orange chunkster who has about five teeth left and is partial to sticking his face into bowls of oatmeal and glasses of mixed drinks. On the upside, he stares at the door (or in the general direction, sometimes he thinks the wall is the door...) til I take him out for walks. And by walks I mean he sits in one place on the front porch on a leash. Makes us both feel like we're being productive and healthy :bigsmile:
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    I have two kitties, Blair and Breanne. They don't help me directly, but they both get so excited about certain parts of my exercise routine that it makes it easier to keep going.

    Blair gets so excited when she sees me come out of the bedroom in my workout stuff because she knows I'll open the window so she can sit up there and watch me while she's enjoying the breeze by the window and watching the critters outside.

    Breanne plays with the Velcro straps on my yoga mat while I'm using it, and then she'll burrow underneath it when I'm done.

    ca56b620-bf88-4efc-9407-9839dd6678ad_zpsa8ff9ffe.jpg
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 Member
    Ember is beautiful! My dog Jones, lab mix (collie?) also helps me stay active. I coudn't say for sure if I would be where I am right now in my weight loss without him or if I would have fallen back into old habits again already. All winter I still had to take him for our daily 2 mile walk and sometimes twice if my boyfriend wasn't able to take him for his turn. I live in MN, so winter is not always easy but with a little extra gear we braved the cold everyday. I know I wouldn't be out there being more active and healthy if it weren't for him on those 20 below zero (or more) days.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
    Love all the pet posts and pics. My boy Sammy is proudly displayed in my ticker, with the "What?" expression. He is 19 (April First) and very good at getting me up in the morning because he howls until I get up to feed him. He gets fed 4 times a day, which I know is a lot for a cat, but they are small meals. He also gets subcutaneous fluids 3 times a week and a variety of pills. He STILL tears around the house.

    However if I sit down in the morning rather that get right into my gym clothes, eat breakfast and leave, he hops in my lap and then I'm not going anywhere, because well I feel guilty and he grabs my wrist with is paw and pulls it under him.
  • Dutch, my Belgian Tervuren, requires a good bit of exercise, at least an hour a day. If he doesnt get his exercise he acts sooooooo offended.... and just sits in front of me and stares. If that doesnt work he "huffs" like a little old man. So... we walk a lot, along with playing chase, throwing balls for him to fetch etc.

    There is no better fitness coach than a 70 pound Belgian that wants a walk
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
    Nope.. I have a bunny and he just gets very curious when I exercise at home, and will climb on me or tries to hump my feet... xD
  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
    Sometimes my cat steals food off my plate, and then I have to throw it away because no WAY am I eating after her!
  • HappyPoet
    HappyPoet Posts: 24
    You tell me. We exercise together along with the SuperWife at a nearby dog park, streams, and in our 2 acre back fenced in yard in the forest. It's the Bombdiggity! Her name (dog) is Jesse.

    ry%3D400
  • eapragar
    eapragar Posts: 15
    Holy cow! You have the cutest dog on the face of the planet.
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    My cat Fur (in my profile pic) is my Manager - she is right by my side during each and every workout I do.

    She's little - she's about 6 years old (Vet's guess - she's a rescue) - and she's about 7 lbs.

    When I do cardio - treadmill, bike, or elliptical - she sits right beside me.

    When I do weights - she rubs up against me while I'm lifting (makes it challenging.......)!

    Weighted lunges - she actually makes this a game and chases/lunges at me - ALWAYS exciting........!

    Push-Ups and planks - she runs underneath my body (it's ALL a game to her)!
  • Binky_Muffin
    Binky_Muffin Posts: 191 Member
    My dog is VERY high energy and requires a daily walk/jog (minimum 1 hour walk or 30 minute jog). If she doesn't go on her walk or jog, she gets really busy. She will exercise in the house. LOL. We don't want that because she's a 60lb Rottweiler.

    I don't have a gym membership because my free time is taken up exercising her. :)
  • cchew686
    cchew686 Posts: 108
    My nugget and I go for walks together, and he *tries* to assist when I'm doing sit-ups. lol

    Lol. My beagle likes to try and help with crunches, planks, etc. So does the German Shepherd mix. And the Mutt. They just like it when I get down on the floor. Only the Germie goes for walks with me, the beagle hides when you get his leash out (no idea why) and the Mutt would bark nonstop for as long as we walked. He sounds like a seal. :bigsmile:
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    My Cat is pretty much useless when it comes to helping me.

    18 pounds of awesome, but not a good motivator. He prefers to lay in my lap and get scratched, whilst he licks my elbows.
    He's an odd one.
  • cchew686
    cchew686 Posts: 108
    My sweet Daisy needs two very long walks a day plus play time or my shoes suffer lol. Beagles get bored easily. She also very much enjoys licking my face whenever I am doing crunches or situps. Mostly though, when I'm feeling down and don't want to move, it just takes a look from her to know that her happiness and health is dependent on me, and that I need to get up and go, if only to watch her tail wag as we walk all over the city

    This photo is titled: What happens when you leave your dog alone long enough to go to the basement to put some laundry in before you go on her walk....

    [img]http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj270/jillynn_photos/Facebook/Mobile Uploads/286d366f-961b-428c-82c8-e27c2cd90e43.jpg[/img]


    LOVE beagles... I've had two and they are just the sweetest, albeit mischievious, little dogs. Both of mine have been total food hounds though...so their weight fluctuated just like mine. But now that I am getting better so is my current beagle. He steals from my son (15 months old) a lot though, so we got to nip that in the bud.
  • laurie04427
    laurie04427 Posts: 421 Member
    My cat is sleek and muscular and doesn't tend to notice if her food dish is empty because she's too busy running and playing. I'd like to be more like that myself.
  • HappyPoet
    HappyPoet Posts: 24
    You tell me. We exercise together along with the SuperWife at a nearby dog park, streams, and in our 2 acre back fenced in yard in the forest. It's the Bombdiggity! Her name (dog) is Jesse.

    ry%3D400

    I couldn't leave SuperWife out of the pic :flowerforyou:
  • dianalee9
    dianalee9 Posts: 134 Member
    My dog is a very high energy dog. He immediately goes bonkers as soon as he sees me touch my running shoes.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    My cats clean my yogurt cups when I'm done. One of them has been known to take off with chips and popcorn.
  • lolosensan
    lolosensan Posts: 251
    I moved into a house with a bunch of guys last August. They have a dog, VP Cheney the girl, who they share. Being that she was no one's sole responsibility, her exercise was getting pretty neglected. I decided to take it upon myself to make sure she got walked as much as I could. When I first moved in I tried to run with her and she just stopped; She was tired and out of breath. I kept taking her though, and now she begs me to go on runs. The other night we ran for about 2 miles before she stopped, and when I take her off the leash at the park she just runs and runs. It brings me the greatest joy to get her exercise and also makes me sad to see her antsy and stuck in the house. She has made me want to get out and move. If I don't feel like running, it doesn't matter, because I want HER to get a run. I love her to death, I think she loves me too, and all the boys have commented that we both look slimmer :)
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    My sweet Daisy needs two very long walks a day plus play time or my shoes suffer lol. Beagles get bored easily. She also very much enjoys licking my face whenever I am doing crunches or situps. Mostly though, when I'm feeling down and don't want to move, it just takes a look from her to know that her happiness and health is dependent on me, and that I need to get up and go, if only to watch her tail wag as we walk all over the city

    This photo is titled: What happens when you leave your dog alone long enough to go to the basement to put some laundry in before you go on her walk....

    [img]http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj270/jillynn_photos/Facebook/Mobile Uploads/286d366f-961b-428c-82c8-e27c2cd90e43.jpg[/img]

    Tell me that wasn't a Club Lulu...