Can a pet be our fitness coach, nutritionist, and therapist all in one?

Studies show those who bond with their pets have decreased cholesterol and triglyceride levels, lowered blood pressure, as well as less feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and symptoms of PTSD. 

If you’re ever feeling anxious and decide the only thing you want to do is give your pet some snuggles, there’s valid reason to do that! All worries fade away with every pet and hug of my sweet dog. No wonder this is statistically proven!

Why is companionship talked about as being crucial?

Having any form of companion (humans or animals) produces positive effects. Find a companion, and you’ll find they:

• support positive mental health
• provide aid during stressful life events
• keep the mind active on something other than oneself
• prevent social isolation

Experiences we all run into at one time or another— so even if we don’t want or have a pet, you and I need to be in relationship. This isn’t only scientifically backed, it’s biblical: “Above all, love each other deeply,” 1 Peter 4:8 NIV and Hebrews 10:24-25, “and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together…but encouraging one another…” We need each other for spiritual and mental health, plain and simple. 

But when it comes to our physical health, can it be said that animals make us more active? I found research that shows owning an animal does correlate to less chunks of time being sedentary. All animals require some sort of movement, which is why pet-owners must regularly get up to keep up with the responsibilities, whatever that may be. However, there is no correlation between overall physical health in pet-owners vs non-pet owners.

Positive physical health trends having pets

• lower blood pressure
• lower blood fat levels
• encouraged and present in over half of nursing homes due to health benefits
• prevent long periods of sitting
• improved heart rate, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels
• reduced risk for cardiovascular diseases

Luke and I can’t imagine life without a dog at this point. Our weimaraner puppy has been a huge motivator to get us out of bed earlier than we may want to in the mornings, expose ourselves to the outdoors to start our day (I could do a whole post on why getting outside first thing in the morning is good for us), and pushed us to get more steps than we ever would without him. Whether we’re exploring new locations or playing with him so he finally gets his energy out– we are so thankful for the cutest reminder to keep us moving everyday! 

Even if it’s not an animal, an accountability partner is what I think of Scout as. Any form of companion can be a large factor in improving our mental, spiritual,l and physical lives. Maybe you need a pet after reading this, or maybe you just need a friend to walk alongside you. Either way, join the NOURISH tribe because we would love to help motivate you as accountability buddies! 

Let’s find nourishment together:)

Evidence needing more research suggests saunas may cause a reduction in depression due to a study showing a 78% reduction in developing psychosis and benefit those with psoriasis due to, “an increase in hydration of the stratum corneum, and faster recovery of both elevated water loss and skin pH” (so basically just good for skin hydration and function). Physical function, vitality, social functioning, and general health are all reported to be greater in sauna users versus nonusers.

Right now you might be telling yourself: I don’t have a sauna in my living room, so… how can I get into sauna baths on my own? Is it only for the professional athletes and superstars of this world or can anyone experience the benefits from it?

Most gyms with pools and many private gyms (a little pricier, yeah) will have a sauna but some common gym chains that do have saunas are; Crunch Fitness, Gold’s Gym, LA Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, YMCA, Snap Fitness, Lifetime, and Equinox gyms. 

The positive effects listed may not be what you were hoping to hear, but as we age, our bodies and minds functioning at high levels will matter so much more than the muscle definition we wanted in our twenties.

Let’s nourish our bodies and minds, friends! Be on the lookout for a post on ice baths and cold therapy coming soon.

I happened upon this quote in a book I was reading, coincidentally at the same time I decided to write a post on discipline to go hand in hand with my post on goal setting. If you haven’t read said post, my recommendation is to do that after reading this to start your new year off right!

Like any post, I’m bringing to the table real research studies— studies that will give us tangible ways to make and sustain improvements in our lives. Whether we make it known to our entire circles or inwardly hope, we all want some sort of good change to occur looking at the next calendar year. Goal setting is the first step at making change a reality (see last post); discipline is the second step…and third, fourth, fifth, so-on, until it becomes consistent. 

Self-discipline and motivation are good predictors of success. Meaning: the more likely you are to choose discipline and motivate yourself, the more likely you are to be successful. But you didn’t need a research study to tell you that, so the question is, how can we be more disciplined and self-motivated?

We’ll make this easy with a list on how to be disciplined:

1. Take small steps. As overused as this analogy is, it is effective; if your goal this year is to complete a marathon when you haven’t ran a mile in years, then you need to start out small or the task will be too overwhelming to even begin (stealing this from Atomic Habits). What you can do is set out your workout clothes and tennis shoes the night before. Make next morning’s goal simply putting them on. If you can recognize that as a win for the day, then you’re already on your way to being more disciplined! The next day, put the clothes on and go on a walk or do a five to ten minute workout. If you can find the discipline to take small steps, exponential growth is possible. 

Benefit: Starting with small steps leads to exponential growth and keeps you on the path of discipline.

2. Eliminate stimulation. Start with a short period of time and decide to work only during that period without distractions. If you don’t want to work, the only other option is to be bored. No finding something else to do during that time, just work/workout/read/etc. or be bored. 

Benefit: Dedicating all your energy toward one task will produce better results than having your focus on multiple tasks.

3. Get to it immediately. Easier said than done, yes. But next time you decide to turn on your show to eat, instead of finishing your meal and proceeding to binge watch the entire season (guilty), pause the show as soon as you’re done eating to get up and get on with dishes or whatever task you stopped prior to eating. The longer you wait, the harder it is to start. This can be applied to every part of life, but if you already feel like you missed your start on January 1, it’s never too late to start. Choose now!

Benefit: Doing things right away helps overcome procrastination. 

4. Stay positive. I know it’s annoying to hear, but I try to think of it like this: If my goal is to read the Bible and journal everyday and I miss one day, I know the devil wants me to feel ashamed that I messed up. His ploy is to make us feel so ashamed that we miss the next day and the next, until we’ve completely given up on our goals because we’ve already ‘failed’. If we couldn’t try again at anything after failing once or skipping one day, then it would be impossible to accomplish anything! Discipline takes a positive mindset, lifting yourself up when you slip up, and starting back at step one next time. 

Benefit: Positivity fuels us to not give up, to keep striving for discipline.  

To help in your discipline journey, try using a planner to track your progress. Check out my etsy shop NourishWithRiss, where you can find weekly, chore, budget, and fitness & nutrition planners that are easy to use throughout the year, for any level in your nourishment journey. 

Take small steps; eliminate stimulation; get to it immediately; stay positive. Not rocket science, but not a magic trick either. Discipline takes desire meeting determination. If you made it this far, I’d say you’re probably on the right track to challenging yourself to be more disciplined. We’re in this together!

“Specific and challenging goals coincide with higher performance.” Looking to an influencer on social media or someone famous as ‘goals’ is not what we are talking about here. More simply put, the more specific your goal is, the more likely you are to perform well and achieve that goal. Don’t just take my word for it– this idea was tested in laboratory and field studies which proved to be true 90% of the time. I trust those odds!

What are examples of specific goals? And how does one approach setting them?

My husband and I figured if we wanted to attack our goals, we needed to start by finding the best way to tangibly define them. Our approach: writing out sections (mine are physical, spiritual, and emotional/mental) to place individual goals into. These are our personal goals over the course of the year, but can be applied on a smaller scale for a monthly or weekly basis. I try not to have more than 3 large goals in each section to make it realistic and attainable, whilst continuing to challenge myself.

I’ll give you a good and bad example from our year’s lists to help guide your goal setting process. Luke has an added section that I did not include which is ‘Financial’. Here, he set the challenging, precise goal of saving a percentage of his income. Because it is so exact, the steps in achieving it are direct (but not necessarily easy). A poor example of a specific goal is from my ‘Spiritual’ section; be in the Bible everyday. Nice in theory, but not distinct enough to hold onto for 365 days…probably why I have not been nearly consistent with it. Had I set to read the entire Bible in a year, then I might still be on track with a direct pathway to get there.

This is only the beginning step in the sometimes long undertaking of goal achievement, but, done well, it leads to directing our attention on specific avenues that will get us there, an increase in persistence since it is in writing, and it encourages developing a strategy for motivation. These benefits came from a scientific study, so again, trustworthy!

It’s never too late to set a goal! This may be a post more relevant to the start of the new year, but you may find yourselves similar to me in a mid-year slump, realizing you haven’t begun half of the tasks you wanted to, while still having a long road to completion on the other half. Don’t be bogged down by what you have done thus far– progress must start somewhere!

My advice to you: remember to tailor your specific goals for varying timelines (day, week, month, year), put it in writing, and give yourself grace if you don’t hit the mark, because chances are, you’re closer to your goal than when you wrote it down!
I hope these words provide you with the nourishment you need to take the leap of setting some goals for yourself! Stay tuned for a post that piggy-backs off this topic: discipline.