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If any of you were to take the time to look through my Instragram page, you would find a plethora of pictures of my dog Lincoln. He accompanies me anywhere where I think it’s socially acceptable to bring an animal. Since he came into my life, he has become quite the workout buddy.
During the early stages our relationship, I would take him on afternoon strolls, thinking he was having the time of his life. As I paid closer attention though, his little brown eyes told a different story.
“Mother, let me run free. I’m a dog. I like to chase things and I like to be chased. This is boring and I hate walking.”
When I realized he didn’t appreciate our time spent walking together as much as I did, I experienced the same guilt as any dog mom does.
I wanted to do and be better for him.
Running long distances is not my thing in any capacity; however, I wanted to give him exercise and freedom while also getting in a little exercise for myself.
So I took him to a field of grass one day and I picked up my legs as quickly as I possibly could and chased him. This interval training of running hard for 30 seconds and then resting for a few, quickly got my heart rate up, and I could see my dog loved every second of it.
My dog, at a mere 15 pounds, is not built for long distances either. His legs are short like mine, and he has quick bursts of energy like myself.
This was perfect for us. After twenty minutes of pushing ourselves hard, both of us started to tucker out.
Lincoln looked at me like I was the best dog-mom in the world.
A couple of days later, I decided to get up extra early to take a stroll with Lincoln at Myriad Gardens. Again, he looked displeased at my declining pace. It was during this moment of annoyance that I let set his leash down for a second. Lincoln saw an opportunity and off he dashed up the stairs.
Once he reached the top of the stairs he peered down on me, baiting me to come up there and chase him.
Sure enough, I took up the challenge and bolted up the stairs where he waited to greet me and congratulate me for not tripping.
Winded, I thought to myself, “If this makes me tired, surely running up and down the stairs with him will?”
I grabbed his leash and up and down we went.
Occasionally, I would let him off the leash so he could freely run and up and down and to challenge myself to run faster.
Up and down and up and down we went.
The scenery at Myriad Gardens made the run pleasurable. More importantly, the look on my dog’s face, his eyes wide and his tongue hanging out of his mouth, indicated that this was his favorite way to spend time with me.
If you don’t have a dog to help push you up the stairs, perhaps investing in one as a workout companion isn’t a bad idea. A study conducted by Michigan State University found that people with canines are 34 percent more likely to get the recommended 150 minutes per week of exercise than folks with no pets or with cats.
When Lincoln and I completed our last hurrah up the stairs, he gave me a paw-five and said, “I love you.”
I bet you didn’t know my dog could talk, did you?
By Anya Alvarez | Photos by Emily Brashier
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