I write, talk, and take pictures of my dog a lot. Just like parents tend to think their children are absolute geniuses ("no no Timmy is just eating the glue because he's really quite curious about the properties that comprise sticky substances"), I think my dog, Lily, is brillant.
Underneath that dazed, half-cross-eyed expression and drool formuating on her loose jowls, I know there's a mastermind at work. I believe she's so smart that when I tell her to "sit", she only opposes because she knows our bond would be broken if we started taking orders from each other. And when she bangs her head on the coffee table, she's really only checking to see if it's the quality mahogany we paid for.
I was struck again by her innovative ways when I observed her chasing a butterfly for a solid 15 minutes. Lily jumped, soared, sprinted and pounced until she flopped on the ground, defeated but smiling. What about this exactly makes her so clever? Think about it: she just did 15 minutes of hard cardiovascular activity and was HAPPY. While she may not be counting her kibbles and bits like some of us, she undoubtedly burned a helluva lot of calories doing something she loved.
For many of us, it's easy to get into the mindset that training is just what we have to DO. The hard work is needed, but the fun has been taken out of it. Another session of cardio is done with narrowed eyes and music blasting, watching the clock as time seems to slow. In ruts like these, take a tip from my furry Einstein and do something that will make you smile. Go hiking, shoot hoops, take a kickboxing class...anything that gets your body moving and will take your mind off of the work that's being put in. Take a bootcamp and laugh with others. Take your canine companion for a brisk walk. Get some friends to play laser tag (nerdy or flipping awesome? I think awesome). Even for the most passionate weightlifter, slumps happen and the gym can get boring.
Before it becomes something you dread doing and start to BUG out, go ahead and chase a butterfly for a while. Lily was watching me as I laced up my sneaks for an enjoyable cardio session outside and I couldn't help but think she approved of my choice of activity. Sometimes workout rewards aren't always going to be new muscles forming or the number on the scale going down. Sometimes they need to be in the form of fresh air, a smile, and a huge slobbery kiss from your brilliant puppy pal.
