Yesterday, we talked about new data that will soon be published in the journal Metabolism about the cardiovascular and weight reduction benefits of adding sprints to your daily routine. And have I taken this to heart myself? Absolutely! On these cold, snowy days when it’s too bitter for a long, leisurely walk and road travel makes a trip to the park for a hike impossible, I enjoy taking the wheatens out for a combination walk-jog-walk. Adding in the jog boosts my exercise, provides very welcome heat, and helps get up home and out of the frigid temps a bit quicker. Here we are taking a break from a jog for a walk and photo op.
Are you one of those people who says, “I just don’t have time for a walk, jog, bike ride, or other exercise session, so there’s really nothing I can do!”
Thanks to researchers at the University of Glasgow, that excuse will no longer work. They tested 10 sedentary, overweight men with fitness measures. Then the men participated in 2 weeks of sprint interval training. They did 6 sessions of 4-6 repetitions of 30-second sprints, with about a 5-minute recovery between sprints. Doesn’t sound like much exercise does it? Well, not only were measures of heart disease risk lower after two weeks, waist and hip circumferences also dropped significantly! The full results of this study will be published in the journal Metabolism later this year.
So, if you thought doing some quick runs in the yard with Lucky, throwing a ball vigorously for your enthusiastic Goldie for a few minutes, or taking some quick sprints down the street with Tip was fun for your dog, but not really good for you — think again! And when you try the excuse of “I can find a whole 30 seconds for a quick sprint activity,” it’ll sound so lame that you’ll be unable to complete this poor justification for continuing unhealthy habits and will be on your way to a healthier you. (Actually, you’d probably spend MORE time trying to explain why you don’t have time for a few sprint-activities with Fido than it would take to actually DO the sprint activities!)
If you have health problems, be sure to check with your doctor before starting any vigorous exercise. Then spend a few times each day racing around with Fido. He’ll love it — and it’ll be good for your health!
Wheatens in Need is a rescue organization for wheaten terriers. To celebrate the wheaten’s Irish heritage, a virtual parade is scheduled each year in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Photos of adorable wheatens (and what wheatenes aren’t?!) can be submitted in jpeg files to kris.jackson@gmail.com. The entry fee per photo is $20 USD/$25 CAD/$15 Euro to help raise money for Wheatens in Need. Check out all the entry details.
Parade photos will be posted in the traditional Wheatens on Parade and a special Angel Brigade for those wheatens who have served their people well and passed over the Rainbow Bridge. When you submit your photo, include 6 words — which can be a sentence, word list, or phrase. You can get ideas by looking at the currently submitted photos. Winners, including best puppy, best costume, and funniest photo, will be selected for each parade. Entries must be submitted by March 14th.
So celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a virtual wheaten parade and help rescue some needy wheatens at the same time!
Has the former President NOT been paying attention to Fit As Fido?! Bill Clinton made news by appropriately linking his poor sleeping habits to his health problems. While bad sleeping habits alone don’t explain all of his health problems, it’s very clear that poor sleeping habits aggravate a variety of health conditions, including
-
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Migraines
- High blood
- And infections
As those of you who are Fit As Fido fans already know, adults need to sleep 7-9 hours every night for good health.
Unfortunately, most adults, like Mr. Clinton, sleep less than 7 hours nightly.
Let’s revisit our conversation with darling Sonia — learning about how to get enough healthy sleep.
Here’s link to the wheaten video from the 134th Westminster Kennel Club Show. The video shows the best breed — no, not the Best OF Breed but the gorgeous, phenomenal, ultra soft and fluffy, adorable SOFT-COATED WHEATEN TERRIER!!!!! (Hey — if you had a wheaten, you’d agree they’re TOTALLY endearing and well worth the extra time needed for training and hair care!)
Bet the judges were tempted to award every gorgeous wheaten! And how they can restrain themselves from getting closer for a wheaten smooch and hug, I’ll never know!
Today, when I was giving my wheatens their weekly bath and blow dry, I wondered how many hours it must take to get those Westminster wheatens ready for the ring. And yes, I know I keep their hair a bit too long, but it’s SO luxurious and the patients they visit just love it! (Used to keep poor Wheatie’s ear hair SO long, I referred to him as my Fabio wheaten!)
Are you one of those people who says, “I just don’t have time for a walk, jog, bike ride, or other exercise session, so there’s really nothing I can do!”
Thanks to researchers at the University of Glasgow, that excuse will no longer work. They tested 10 sedentary, overweight men with fitness measures. Then the men participated in 2 weeks of sprint interval training. They did 6 sessions of 4-6 repetitions of 30-second sprints, with about a 5-minute recovery between sprints. Doesn’t sound like much exercise does it? Well, not only were measures of heart disease risk lower after two weeks, waist and hip circumferences also dropped significantly! The full results of this study will be published in the journal Metabolism later this year.
So, if you thought doing some quick runs in the yard with Lucky, throwing a ball vigorously for your enthusiastic Goldie for a few minutes, or taking some quick sprints down the street with Tip was fun for your dog, but not really good for you — think again! And when you try the excuse of “I can find a whole 30 seconds for a quick sprint activity,” it’ll sound so lame that you’ll be unable to complete this poor justification for continuing unhealthy habits and will be on your way to a healthier you. (Actually, you’d probably spend MORE time trying to explain why you don’t have time for a few sprint-activities with Fido than it would take to actually DO the sprint activities!)
If you have health problems, be sure to check with your doctor before starting any vigorous exercise. Then spend a few times each day racing around with Fido. He’ll love it — and it’ll be good for your health!
It’s so easy to spot faults in others — and so tough to recognize those same problems in ourselves. Sometimes I think, especially as we get older, our eyesight tricks us into seeing much more youthful versions of ourselves when we look in the mirror. I admit it, during the Super Bowl half-time show I saw The Who and said, “Man do they look OLD!” My husband then turned toward me and said, “You’re the same age.” Shocked, I retorted, “Well, I certainly don’t look anything like THAT!” To which he unwisely answered, “Yeah - you do!” Luckily, as we were rooting for the Saints, I quickly forgot this faux pas and enjoyed the rest of the evening.
But this conversation came back into my head when I read a recent survey showing that, despite the barrage of information about the rise of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. that’s all over the media and Internet — including on Fit As Fido posts!, most American still don’t recognize their own poor health habits. The Cleveland Clinic asked over 2000 people about their health and what they thought of their neighbor’s health. While over half of those surveyed readily admitted that other people were becoming more unhealthy, less than one in five thought their OWN health was getting worse.
Here’s what people said about their health — and what their doctors thought:
- One in three people gave themselves an “A” for managing their personal health — over 9 in 10 doctors gave people a “C” or lower.
- One in three people gave themselves an “A” for healthy eating habits — over 9 in 10 doctors again gave them a “C” or worse.
- One in three people gave themselves an “A” for exercising regularly — and you guessed it — over 9 in 10 doctors said, “no,” giving them a “C” or worse.
So what’s going on? Researchers speculate that, when so many people have developed poor eating habits, don’t exercise, and are overweight or obese, it’s easy to say, “I may not be perfect, but I’m no way NEAR as bad as she is!”
Let’s not kid ourselves. We can ALL stand to improve our health habits. Wanna get started today? Then order your copy of Fit As Fido today so you can honestly start to say, “I AM doing great! And so’s my dog!”
The weather may be a bit frightful (or perfect weather if you’re a wheaten terrier!), but a bit (or even mountains!) of snow can’t keep Endal Junior from fight for more funds for service men and women. Hounds for Heroes provides specially trained services dogs to individuals in the UK disabled through service in the military and civilian emergency workers. Check out the Hounds for Heroes website to find out more about what EJ’s doing to further this important cause and see how you can make a donation or volunteer your time to help bring a smile to the face of one who has sacrificed for the safety of us all.
A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine fell ice skating and suffered a minor concussion. A few days later, she went skiing and after a short time on the slopes began to feel ill and have a headache. When I spoke with her, she said, “I don’t know why I don’t feel well. It was just a concussion!”
Here in Pittsburgh, we’re used to hearing about “but it was just a concusssion” as we watch our beloved Steelers get bashed about and commentators announce, “Good news! Looks like it was just a concussion. His knees seem fine!”
In recent years, concussions are finally becoming better recognized as potentially serious. Unfortunately, many people fail to recognize when they’ve had a concussion — falsely thinking you have to be knocked unconscious to be diagnosed as having had a concussion.
You’ve probably had a concussion if you had a head injury that caused you to be:
- Knocked out
- Lose memory for before or after a head injury
- Feel dazed or stunned
- “Saw stars”
- “Got the wind knocked out of you”
If you’ve had a concussion, be sure to see your doctor. After a concussion you may have a wide range of disturbing symptoms that can last for days to months:
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Irritability
- Memory problems
Remember — the person who has had the concussion may not be a good judge of whether or not he or she is impaired. So if you notice changes in your loved one after being hit on the head, be sure to talk to his or her doctor to provide information about what’s happening.
It’s important to know that after a concussion you need to let your brain rest and avoid reinjury. During the time after a concussion, you’re at higher risk for re-injury and repeat concussion. To get better quicker, you need to rest your brain by avoiding mentally taxing activities - so this is a great time to spend going for dog walks, brushing your dog, or otherwise doing tasks that aren’t particularly mentally demanding. You also need to avoid re-injury by restricting yourself from activities that might result in another head injury, like contact sports or other sports and activities prone to result in falling. If you participate in sports, you should not participate in your sport until you have been symptom-free for 1-2 weeks after your concussion. Symptom-free means no residual headache, dizziness, confusion, etc. So joining back in the game that same day or even several days later shouldn’t be permitted.
Resuming activities too quickly:
- Puts you at risk for repeated injury
- Can delay your recovery
- Can result in worsening of post-concussion symptoms, like headache and dizziness
So enjoy winter activities, but if you slip and bump your head, take a break and give yourself time to recover. As we’ve seen this winter, there will likely be more snow in the forecast for future fun — so missing a few days of snow play won’t mean winter fun is done for the season!
It’s been a few months since we’ve looked to see what that darling and hardworking puppy Endal Junior (or EJ) has been doing. Of course, we all remember the amazing bond between injured veteran and service dog flunky that brought Allen Parton and Endal together. And then there was that famous first transatlantic interview with Endal Junior as he started to fill Endal’s service vest.
Well little puppy EJ is no longer a puppy! He’s a dog and a diligent worker, just like his mentor Endal had been for Allen. This week, EJ and Allen accepted a donation from aerospace designer and defense contractor BAE systems for the Royal British Legion. The staff at BAE decided to form a charity partnership with the Royal British Legion, providing funding for the next two years! Allen has been a tireless advocate for the needs of veterans and, with EJ’s cute mug at his side, who can resist!
Keep up the great work EJ. I’m sure Endal’s gazing down on you with his kindly, knowing eyes, saying, “Well done, little one. Well done!”
BAE Systems at Hilsea support the Royal British Legion
A majestic looking EJ on duty to help service men and women
BAE mascot gets a coveted kiss from EJ
