A little encouragement can go a long way when it comes to staying fit.
People turn to a personal trainer to keep them focused and on task during workouts on those spinners and ellipiticals and simulated flights of stairs and what not.
A little enthusiasm from a second party can help the tired and the sweaty find renewed energy to apply to more repetitions.
But wouldn't it be nice if you could have a personal trainer that motivated you without saying a word? A trainer who only led by example?
Let me share what has worked with me four the last four years: I've lost about 15 pounds without any fad diets.
I eat whatever I want, but then I go out and walk somewhere between one and two miles every day I get a chance.
My walking partner makes sure of that.
To fully disclose: I originally lost a great deal of weight when I was on my work-obsessively-on-your-fixer-upper-60-year-old-home-to-the-exclusion-of-all-else-including-meals phase.
But my purchase of a domicile allowed me to bring home the energetic little thing who pulls me along for extended walks.
Taking her on the trail is much preferable than cleaning up after an accident due to my negligence, after all.
Of course, I'm talking about my combination Australian shepherd/blue heeler/whatever-else mutt. I found her in the Galax-Carroll-Grayson Animal Shelter in Virginia and I adopted her for only $15, plus the cost of her operation...
(Spaying and neutering is required for all animals from the pound.)
The dog, a tri-colored, short-haired puppy with blue eyes, tricked me at the pound because she made very little commotion and, in fact, didn't much stir from wherever I plopped her down when we got home.
But as soon as I rolled in a ball on the floor, she got over her shyness and came alive and pounced on me and nipped me repeated with the tiny sharp teeth that puppies have.
After that, she was ready to go all the time.
That dog, whom I named Sydney because of the Australia connection, could fetch for hours on end. I'd no sooner throw a toy as far as I could, but she'd be back with it and jumping on me to make sure that I knew she'd be willing to go get it again.
Just a little at the end of my leash, I discovered the dog could relax after a protracted walk.
Maybe 'relax' isn't the best word, but she'd lie down and be still for a while.
That was just about when the Beaver Dam Walking Trail opened locally.
Thankfully, Sydney and I can take care of several issues at once by visiting the trail.
We both get exercise. It's possibly the most I've ever had in my life. It's certainly the most I've done voluntarily and consistently.
When you go from no more walking than absolutely necessary to pumping those legs about five times a week for an average of 1.7 miles a day, it's got to do some good. After all, that works out to about 442 miles a year.
Not only that, but they say a person's mental health improves whenever they exercise and enjoy nature.
And there's the idea that a person's blood pressure goes down with the companionship of a pet.
The dog caused me to rearrange my priorities and reexamine what I do and how.
Thanks to her, I'm about as healthy as I've ever been.
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