About the Book

A canine personal trainer can effectively teach humans to improve their physical, mental and social fitness.

Let your dog teach you to live a happier, healthier and more fulfilling life! Companionship with your pet can be used as a means and a motivator to increase your own physical and mental fitness. This fun and easy-to-read book provides practical tips for learning healthy lifestyle habits from a four-legged friend.

Click here for a downloadable PDF of the Fit As Fido Exercise Diary.

Table of Contents

Read excerpts from each section!

1. Enjoy health benefits of having a dog
2. Eat like a dog
3. Play like a dog
4. Sleep like a dog
5. Be man’s best friend
6. Teach an old dog new tricks
7. Live a dog’s life

1. Enjoy health benefits of having a dog   (back to top)
If you’ve never owned a dog, don’t despair—it’s never too late to take that joyous plunge and begin to enjoy the benefits of a canine companion. Medical research shows that becoming a new dog owner results in both immediate and long-lasting health improvements (Serpell 1991). In a fascinating study, Dr. Serpell at the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine in Cambridge evaluated new pet owners and people without pets. While there was no change in minor health problems over six months among non-pet owners, dog owners experienced a 50 percent decrease in minor health problems after just one month of ownership. This benefit was maintained after six months. Interestingly, dog owners experienced a greater degree of health improvement than cat owners, and the benefits with dogs lasted longer than those seen with cats. Dog owners also experienced an increase in physical activity. On average, both future dog owners and non-pet owners walked an average of twice per week at the start of the study. This number decreased slightly over six months in the non-pet owners. After signing up with their four-legged trainers, dog owners experienced a substantial increase in the number of walks per week to nine per week after the first month and fourteen per week after six months.

2. Eat like a dog   (back to top)
DON’T EAT TABLE SCRAPS

“I’m good about reducing my portion sizes, but when I’m cleaning up the dinner dishes, I find myself nibbling the leftovers on my kids’ plates.”
-Mary H., Wexford, PA

Growing up, I was required to finish the food served on my plate. We all heard the same phrases: Waste not, want not. Starving children across the world. As an adult, it’s easy to remember these reminders and hard not to heed them. In today’s super-sized meal world, portion sizes provided in restaurants and even at home are often too big. So it’s very tempting to gobble down these leftovers to “clean the plate.” As moms, it’s also tempting to nibble down those leftover French fries, the half of a sandwich, handful of cookie bites, or (my favorite) pizza crusts remaining on Junior’s plate. Next time that uneaten jelly donut on the breakfast tray seems to be calling you, stop and think about how you handle leftovers for Buster.

Your vet has probably cautioned you not to give your dog table scraps. “Dog food is for dogs and people food for people.” You shouldn’t give your dog table scraps because it’s not healthy for him—he already gets enough nutrition and calories from his regular dog food. You wouldn’t encourage Lucky to jump up on your kitchen table and finish the scraps off of everyone’s plates. Don’t do the same thing yourself. And the next time you’re tempted to finish that half eaten candy bar leftover in Bobby’s lunchbox, remember Lucky and toss it in the trash. You probably wouldn’t think about gobbling Murphy’s leftover kibble. Don’t eat leftover human kibble either.

This chapter also contains nutritious recipes for you and for your dog.

3. Play like a dog   (back to top)
Less than half of Americans get an adequate amount of exercise to achieve good health benefits (Macera 2005). The estimated total time for dog walking to achieve health benefits is about 45 minutes per day (Warburton 2006). Walking this amount daily will reduce your risk of dying by 20 to 30 percent (Lee 2001, Myers 2004).

The best way to make sure you achieve your daily walking target is to take daily walks with your dog. Even though dog owners have an enthusiastic, live-in exercise trainer, over half of all dog owners never walk their dogs (Bauman 2001)!

How many days a week should you walk?
•    One
•    Two
•    Three
•    Four
•    Every day

If you’re not sure about the answer to this one, just ask Buster. He’ll be happy to tell you every day is ideal. Walking only 3 days weekly results in only minimal health benefits (Murtaugh 2005). The other benefit to walking every day is that the walking becomes a regular part of your schedule, like brushing your teeth, so it’s easier to make sure you follow through.

4. Sleep like a dog   (back to top)
People sleeping only 6 to 7 hours nightly are 50 percent more likely to report having poor health compared with people getting a full night’s sleep (Steptoe 2006). Those sleeping less than 6 hours nightly were twice as likely to have poor health. A large survey of over 200 million adults in the United States found that almost one in five had trouble sleeping (Pearson 2006). Those individuals with sleep problems were more likely to have health problems with obesity, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, anxiety, and depression. So take a lesson from your dog and make sleep a regularly scheduled priority to improve your energy level, your mood, your function, and your health.

My sister-in-law is a big coffee drinker, with a percolator often going almost around the clock. She gets very little sleep and thinks she’s doing fine, as long as she “has her coffee.” We all know if we don’t get enough sleep, we feel sluggish and less mentally alert. This is a big reason professional drivers, like long-distance truck drivers, need to take a required sleep break. Sleep recharges our mental batteries so we can once again be bright and alert. Sleep experts in Switzerland found that sleep deprivation temporarily worsened people’s mental capabilities (Gottselig 2006). When these same sleep-deprived people had caffeine, simple mental processes did improve. Complex mental activities, however, do not improve with caffeine. So don’t use caffeine to avoid feeling the need for sleep. Taking the time to get adequate sleep will improve your performance and productivity, making up for the time “lost” by sleeping.

5. Be Man’s Best Friend   (back to top)
You might be surprised to learn that you can make your own life less stressful and more satisfying by getting involved with other people. Being socially engaged in your community and with family and friends will also improve your physical health. A lot of medical research has investigated the health impact from social involvement. A lack of friends is linked to poor health, while health improves for people who are socially involved (Zunzunegui 2004). Among older adults, general health continues to improve as the number of social activities increases (Zunzunegui 2004). Interestingly, older adults need more than simply involvement with family. In a large study of over 3000 seniors, being involved with networks of friends provided more health benefits than networks of only family and children (Zunzunegui 2004).

Researchers at Duke University reported their findings of social involvement and health in a large survey of almost 10,000 people (Barefoot 2005). In their study, more frequent interactions with family and friends resulted in about a 25 percent reduced risk for heart disease and death. It’s pretty amazing that doing something as simple as checking in with friends, greeting your neighbors, and taking an interest in others can substantially improve your own well being and help you live a longer, healthier life.

6. Teach An Old Dog New Tricks   (back to top)
Don’t ever tell Flower that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. If you ask her, she’ll probably insist that you must keep teaching your dog new tricks. Your dog will usually be eager to try out a new toy, a new walk, or even a new set of commands. Dogs understand the value of a life-long pattern of curiosity and an interest in new things. So teach an old “dog” new tricks by never missing an opportunity to learn and grow.

Researchers at the University of California surveyed 205 elderly people who were still living in the community about successful aging (Montross 2006). They defined successful aging as being able to live independently, readily adapt to changes, be engaged with others, be healthy, and have a strong sense of well-being and life satisfaction. Four factors were strongly linked to successful aging:
•    Having more close friends
•    Spending more days each week reading
•    Spending more days each week listening to the radio
•    Spending more days each week visiting family

This study shows that “staying connected” with the world, through reading, listening to the radio, and being engaged with friends and family, is what keeps us both mentally and physically strong as we age.

7. Live A Dog’s Life   (back to top)
Before Wheatie came home, we posted a puppy training schedule on the refrigerator, listing times for potty breaks, walks, kennel time, meals, etc. We stuck to the schedule religiously for the first couple of months and his behavior was great and housebreaking accidents infrequent. Laziness resulted in straying from the schedule, with resultant behavior problems and “surprises” left in the dining room. We soon learned that, like my boys, Wheatie did best with a consistent schedule in place.

So make a schedule for yourself—include daily times for four essential daily activities:
•    Sleeping
•    Meals
•    Exercise
•    Socializing

Make your schedule specific—listing when, where, and how you plan to sleep, eat, exercise, and socialize. You can use the sample daily Fit As Fido living a dog’s life log provided in this chapter. Read the completed sample schedule to give you ideas about how to individualize your own calendar.