It’s that cold, lazy time of year when I most want to curl up on the couch or in my bed and do …. nothing. You might think I exaggerate but I can assure you at least twice in the last 5 days I have processed the entire thought of what a day in bed might look and feel like.
But, and some of you will know this, the horses need food and water, the dogs do not lie in bed happily and the water in the barn has been out all winter this year (timing really is everything sometimes!) so I dream for a minute then get up and at it.
I have been doing daily 10-15 minutes of yoga at work with youth – it’s easy relatively speaking, but it’s showing me that my balance and fitness are not what I would like. So I join other youth in the gym for 15 minutes if I can grab a break to spend with them, I slog the buckets of water by hand at least occasionally rather than leaving it for Big T or using wheels. And I, being me, plan and set goals for my fitness.
It’s a good reminder that the dogs could likely use some finess tuning too – as we start to head to training and (fingers crossed) competing it will become more important. Farm’gility is a great sport but the dogs are ageing ( somehow we live with nearly 8, 9, nearly 12 and nearly 15-year-olds!) and much less likely to truly work their own fitness.
Agility is a sport that isn’t always easy on our canine’s body – sudden stops, starts, ups, downs and concussive impact after jumps – the list of stressors on the dog’s body is LONG! Here’s a horse article outlining some of the reasons fitness matters. The implications for our dogs are obvious.
We can get more specific dog help with fitness goals too. The talented and way too humble Stella Barnett is hosting a webinar on Feb 26 at 7:30 pm ET looking at Agility Fitness for Canines. If you need a financial hand go ahead and use the coupon STELLASDISCOUNT – that’ll take $5 off the cost for you.
Stella is not only a certified and experienced dog fitness person; she also had MAD SKILLZ with people fitness and a solid understanding of both human and canine body systems. She plays many many sports with her wonderful dogs and has so so much to share and offer.
I know the webinar will be full of great ideas and implementable strategies. The fact Stella is a wonderful human is the icing on the cake of knowledge and motivation I am excited to consume! Hope to see you there!
Stay warm and safe, get planning and start getting ready to do the things you want to do!
Here’s the Sign up link – just in case you missed it!
