Everyday is a Blessing-Walk to it!
As we enter 2015 I reflect on so much that I accomplished in my fitness competitions in 2014.
But I’m also reflecting on so much more of what I lost. That would be the borrowed time we have with each other and our pets. In the fall I wrote a piece titled “For Pets Sake” for The Modesto View Website. In it I discussed how important it is to not only take care of our own health through nutrition and exercise but also for every member of your family, including our pets. Sad but true, one of my little dogs got up to a whopping 39lbs in a short period of time. For nearly two years my wife and I struggled with countless ear infections with our dog. So out of love, we gave her just about everything she wanted to make her happy including her fill of food with little exercise. Over time this started a few health problems for her.
On November 1st I made the decision to give up racing for a while and start to exercise more with the family. This included my 4-legged family members, my dogs. It started out slow, but we got up to 3 walks a day, and nearly covered 3 miles per day in those 3 walks. The benefits of walking for my wife and dogs were suddenly very noticeable, within a week we all had more energy, we slept better and felt happy that we were all exercising together. Heck, all of us even started to loose some weight and my little dog Zoey’s ear infections seem to keep themselves at bay. But, my little Zoey couldn’t break 39 lbs even with smaller food portion sizes and exercise. It turns out that she actually had a fast-growing cancerous tumor in her abdomen. This tumor grew to the size of a grapefruit within two months and on the 9th of December, it ruptured and she began to bleed out. My wife and I made the painful decision that morning to end her suffering and we gave her back to our Lord. Friends: everyday is a gift.
Please make sure that you and every member of your family love one another daily, eat right and exercise together. It’s easy, just push everything aside and put your family’s health first and go for a family walk with your dogs. You’ll find that walking will benefit you and your health beyond belief and the satisfaction you’ll get by exercising together as a family will far exceed any medal or win at any competition. The ShadowChase running club has a walking group too. Log onto ShadowChase.org to learn more about the benefits of walking. In loving memory of our little girl Zoey:
Fitness tips:
~Walking is more beneficial for your body in the long term versus running.
~Walk at an indoor mall if weather doesn’t permit outdoor.
~Walk your dog in an indoor pet store if weather doesn’t permit.
~When walking your dog outside, please pick up after them.
