Category Archives: Dog Walking

Walking + Volunteering + Dogs =

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Miraculous Health Benefits of doing the right things, together.

Walking is, simply put, too much to do for those of us under the spell of adrenal fatigue. Not only is our get-up-and-go gone, other companion side affects keep us couch bound. Fatigue aside, feelings of overwhelm, anxiety and depression make it easy to cancel outings with friends and exercise dates with anyone, especially ourselves. I am speaking from experience.

What jumpstarted my walking program? Two unstoppable reasons — my local shelter needed volunteers to walk dogs and I knew I had to get out of the house, make new friends, smell the roses and all that jazz.

The results were nothing short of miraculous.

To make a long story short – my volunteer dog walking stint Continue reading →

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Arthritis Joint Pain – Opportunity to stay loose, loose stubborn belly fat and find new friends

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Arthritis Joint Pain can be your curse or your wake up call and a blessing. Guess who gets to choose? Three letter word —  sounds like Casper the ghost’s favorite word …

What causes arthritis joint pain in the first place? For most it is simply a side affect of aging, a result of lifetime wear and tear. The most common form, osteoarthritis, shows up as joint inflammation and swelling, joint pain, stiffness and decreased range of motion. In case you think these are good reasons to be a couch potato, think again.

Move it or loose it – Joint lubrication and flexibility.
My dentist once told me to “only floss the teeth” I wanted to keep. Isn’t that a horrifying image? I’ve been a flossing daily ever since. Same thing goes for “only moving the muscles, bones and joints” you think you’d like to use.

Walking specialist Mary Anne Dunkin puts it another way, “walking strengthens muscles, which helps shift pressure from joints and reduce pain. And repeated walking Continue reading →

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Dog Walking: The Ultimate Adrenal Energy Boost and Relief for Arthritis Joint Pain

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Dog Walking and Dog Carrying

Dog Walking and Dog Carrying

I began dog walking at my neighborhood SPCA four years ago. I had recently relocated to a new town and was in the throes of recovering from an adrenal imbalance called adrenal fatigue.  Volunteering a mere two hours a week pawing around with pups seemed like the perfect way to make new friends, get a little more exercise, and feed my adrenal glands the “fun” endorphins.

Long story short – dog walking rebooted my physical and emotional well-being. My time slot was Wednesday afternoons from two to four p.m. Unlike the gym, this was a date I never missed. How could I when my brown-eyed, furry, exercise buddies were counting on me? I could walk in there feeling exhausted, with a migraine, or simply feeling blue. I’d always walk out with a smile and a volunteer’s high. (Yes, it’s real.)

I wasn’t looking to lose weight but dog walking did that too. In the first month I lost seven pounds! Since then I’ve read numerous articles about the benefits of a varied pace walking program. The pups led me through this naturally. I’d walk slowly with a senior Labrador Continue reading →

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Relax and Re-Energize with a little purring and petting

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Two weeks ago I brought home a big (15 lb!) bundle of taffy colored fur called “Kitty.” I’ve never had a cat before and Kitty is a fascinating and delightful addition to our family. (Velvet the dog, Peetie the worried cockatiel, Micheal and Moi.)

Last weekend a snippet of an article caught my attention and tonight I snuggled in to do some research on the topic of pets and how they make us healthy. A few highlights include:

* Petting cats or dogs increases feel good hormones, lowers blood pressure and slows the heart rate. In other words, petting is healthy for your heart!

* Want an easy, healthy stress buster? A study shows that watching fish swim can drop your blood pressure about 15 points …

* Want an easy does it way to relax and re-energize? “Walking is the biggest bang for our buck. Thirty minutes a day of walking will prevent many cases of diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic diseases.” -Surgeon General

Psst. Dog owners walk 79 percent farther in an average week than non–dog owners.

For the rest of this puuurfect story, click here ….

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Just one way to boost your energy – Puppy Love

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Last Wednesday I bought a pedometer to start logging my steps for the SPCA. (I am a volunteer dog walker – you could be too. Click here for typical volunteer opportunities at your local shelter OR to help out at ours.)

Anywho, on Wednesday, January 2ND I walked 9533 steps. Someday I’ll figure out how that translates into miles. Right now I like the sound of steps! BTW = The manual that came with the pedometer recommends that we walk a total of 10,000 steps a day.

Volunteering – doing something you Love for something or someone you Love is sooooooo
energizing. It is proven to release all kinds of feel good hormones. I have gone in for this weekly 2 hour walking spree feeling like c-r-a-p – feeling tired – feeling stressed, even with migraine headaches and come out of it refreshed, re-Energized and loving life. Must be a combination of heart, movement, oxygen and water intake …

This is just ONE way to give yourself an emotional and physical boost. Do you have something else to suggest? Add it on here for the rest of us!

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