Dog owners need Towcester Veterinary Centre’s eco-friendly new year fitness ideas
December 7, 2021
“New year get fit” and “live more sustainably” – if these are your new year resolutions, our team at Towcester Vets have just the thing for you. Keep reading to discover some exercise ideas you can do with your dog, ways to stay motivated, and tips on being more sustainable at the same time.
If your dog is overweight, very young, a senior, or just not used to doing much physical activity, it is best not to do too much too quickly. Email us for advice on the right type of exercise for your dog.
New year fitness motivation tips
Sticking with a new year fitness challenge is much easier if you do not do it alone. Who better to motivate you than your dog? Dogs are almost always up for exercising with their humans!
Finding an activity that you enjoy together will also help with motivation. Why stick at just one? You will both benefit from a varied exercise routine as it gives overused muscles, joints, and ligaments a chance to rest and recover. It will also make your fitness journey more interesting and more likely to continue past the end of January for longer term benefits.
Six ways to get fit with your dog
- Upgrade your daily walk – A one-hour walk can burn up to 200 calories and can be very rewarding for you both. Warm up in winter months by exploring new routes that you and your dog can enjoy together. Have less time? You can also upgrade shorter walks by changing the speed, adding hills, using obstacles, and incorporating some play time.
- Doggy jogging – It might take a bit of training to get the pacing right and make sure you avoid tripping over each other, but dog jogs are a great bonding activity and exercise.
- Dog agility classes – Agility training is fun, energetic, and stimulating for both you and your dog. You can buy (or make) equipment for your garden, or start visiting a dog club or training centre with all the right gear. Search dog agility classes near Towcester, Weedon or Paulerspury or in Northamptonshire.
- CaniX (Canicross) – If you have not heard of this, CaniX involves running with your dog attached to a harness around your waist. There are running events countrywide, starting at 2K. Find out more about this activity and find a CaniX weekend event near you.
- Bikejoring – Also new to you? Bikejoring means you get on your bike and cycle while your dog runs ahead, pulling you in a harness. It is typically geared towards medium to large dogs, and is a high-intensity workout. Discover more about bikejoring.
- Doga – Doing yoga with your dog can benefit body and mind, for you both. Dogs pick up on human emotions and can suffer the same stress. Doga lets you spend quality bonding time being calm and reassuring your dog. Plus, yoga has been proven to be good for heart health in humans, so why not dogs too? Learn more about the practice of doga.
Six ways to make your dog activities more sustainable
- Can you walk to your activity location? Save on carbon emissions and get a warm-up.
- Use eco-friendly dog poop bags – biodegradable poop bags will help reduce plastic pollution, as will compostable ones (just don’t put these on compost used for food crops!)
- Did you know you can get eco-friendly dog collars, leads, and harnesses?
- Take a re-usable water bottle with you. Here are some eco-friendly options our Towcester team found at Ocean Bottle and wearthlondon.com
- Need new gear? Search for ‘sustainable sportswear UK’ and find a range of active brands.
- Instead of throwing away your old sportswear and dog leads, try donating them instead.
Why not invite friends and local dog owners to join you on your 2022 fitness journey? Just hit the share button in this article or copy the link to your Facebook page.
Remember, we are here if you want any further advice on this topic.
