LET YOUR FITNESS GO TO THE DOGS (...AND BIRDS AND COWS)
Our four-legged and feathered friends can help boost our health, says RUTH LYNCH
WE HAVE all heard the saying ‘never work with children or animals’, but when it comes to getting active, our friends from the animal kingdom could be exactly what we need to get up and moving.
Not only are our four-legged pals great companions when it comes to accompanying our exercise, but we can also use local wildlife to get the whole family excited about being outside and active, whether that’s bug finding, heading out to a farm or going on a Gruffalo hunt!
With that in mind, here are my top tips to help you and your family take advantage of all the ways four-legged and feathered friends can keep your mind and body active.
FOUR-LEGGED POCKET ROCKETS
DOG lovers are all too familiar with the health benefits of owning a pooch. Not only are they wonderful companions, but you have little choice but to get up and out every day to give them a walk.
This daily exercise is nothing to be sniffed at! While a walk doesn’t get your heart pumping like a spin class, getting out and about every day will be great for your own and your family’s health.
Just walking with your – or a friend’s – dog will get your heart beating faster, and the mental health benefits of being outside with your furry companion are endless.
Of course, if you don’t have a dog or you aren’t confident looking after one yourself, you can always head out and see how many dogs you can spot on a walk.
One idea is to go to the park and, rather than heading straight for the play area with the kids, see how many dogs you can spot in a loop of the park before you head to play.
If you or your children are nervous of dogs this could be a great way to familiarise yourself with them without getting too close – and you never know, if you spot a friendly looking dog on regular occasions you may even fancy heading over and saying hello.
If you are lucky enough to live within walking or cycling distance to fields then why not make a trip to see the cows, ducks, horses or sheep?
RUN BUDDY
ANOTHER advantage to a dog is that it can encourage you to pick up the pace, with lots of joggers choosing to take their dogs with them on their runs for this very reason.
Not only will they keep you company, they may help you beat your personal best.
If you’ve never run with your dog, or never run before, then you can still give it a go.
Just like humans, dogs need to build up their stamina, so doing something together like Couch to 5k – where you build up from running for just 30 seconds to running for 30 minutes – could be perfect.
Just remember, if you’re running during the evening, ensure both you and the dog can be seen.
BIRD SPOTTING
THE stereotypical image of a bird spotter is a man with his binoculars waiting quietly for hours for a sighting.
But the act of birdwatching is actually a lot of fun – it’s simply a family game of I-spy or birdy bingo.
All you need to do is head out to your local green space or woodland and see what you and the kids can see. If you’re unsure where to start check the RSPB website (rspb.org. uk) where you can learn about easily identifiable birds local to your area.
You can also find a list of hundreds of nature reserves up and down the country which are also perfectly set up for families and visitors, combining an exhilarating walk with a spot of hide and seek.
Remember, anything that gets your heart beating a little faster, raises your temperature or makes you breathe a little faster is classed as moderate exercise and will benefit your family’s health, so getting excited and hunting out the next feathered friend could be just the ticket.
FARMYARD FRIENDS
IF YOU are lucky enough to live within walking or cycling distance to fields then why not make a trip to see the cows, ducks, horses or sheep?
You may be used to seeing them every day as you drive past, but when was the last time you and your children took a visit to see them up close? You could select a different animal to hunt out each week on a bike ride or run?
Having an incentive as simple as spotting some sheep or feeding an apple to a horse should be enough to get you all excited about getting outside and getting active.
Of course, if you live in a city or town then tracking down farm animals may be a struggle, especially with ongoing restrictions.
However, there’s nothing stopping you seeing how many dogs you can spot out on a walk or seeing if any nearby parks have an animal corner.
BEASTLY FUN
EXERCISE is extremely important to keep us fit and healthy as we age.
Kids should an hour a day, while adults should get their hearts going for at 30 minutes a day.
So, whether checking off a garden bird check list, taking the dogs out for a long walk or searching for hedgehogs, animals are a fantastic way to up our activity levels without us even noticing!