New Year’s Resolutions: Exercise is Good for Body and Soul

Exercise: it’s addictive and a serotonin increaser. So why is it one of the first things that we cut back on when stress rears its ugly head? Go figure. This is exactly when we should make sure that we stay on the exercise track. Maintaining sanity has its benefits, both for people and dogs.

When it became clear that my last foster dog was also going to be my longest in residence foster dog (a year and a half total!), I gradually stopped my strength training routine. Oh, I said it was from lack of time, but it was really from the additional unresolved stress of having a dog in a house with four other dogs, that would be much happier as an only dog.

Then Merlin was diagnosed with cancer and the roller coaster ride of treatments began. And while I definitely continued with daily outdoor exercise for all of my dogs and myself during this hectic time frame, (including my foster dog, now in the best home ever I am happy to add!), Merlin had chemo complications periodically so we walked shorter distances and more slowly than in the past. Add to the afore mentioned complications, the fact that this past summer was one of the most hot and humid summers in much of the country, so we were actually forced to cut exercise shorter or slower on many days.

Walking Multiple Dogs for Exercise

This is a long way of saying that we need to get back into shape. Merlin lost his battle to cancer in late September but for the approximate six weeks after his last bad chemo reaction prior to that, I credit gradually increased walking durations to getting him into his best feeling condition of this whole ordeal. Sadly, hemangiosarcoma doesn’t get cured by exercise alone but it sure got a run for its money.

Now that we are a three dog household with more time on our hands than in the past, I am resolved that we will be fitter, both mentally and physically, in this New Year. Exercise not only nourishes the body, it fills the soul as well, if you are an outdoor exerciser as we are. Stimulation of both the body and the brain does more for you than pretty much anything else I can think of.

So we are on a mission. Even Kera, who can sometimes only go short distances slowly, has increased her stamina enough so that she can walk at close to normal pace for what used to be a normal distance, at least several days a week! Kidney failure, be damned! We will show this silly thing called aging that we will be the winner! Every day we can, either pace or distance is increased, even if only slightly. We are happy with small victories. Even an extra five minutes a day or a twenty second run that we did not do the day before is something to celebrate.

Exercise is good for the body and soul.

My dogs and I love to be outside, no matter what the weather may be. Well, we can live without the heat and humidity but even then, we need the outdoors. We just choose locales with water they can lay in then. The wooded areas in particular make us very happy. And I am happy to add that strength training has been resumed, which is a big help with to sanity maintenance.

I want to know what sort of exercise you and your crew prefers and if you have any activity based New Year’s resolutions for yourself and your crew. Use the spaces below to share your thoughts. And get outside. Your dogs will pay you lavishly with happiness.