New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your Pets
Time to make your life better?
Include your pet in your goals and you’re more likely to make those resolutions stick. You and your pets can reap the rewards and a better life together.
So, it’s that time of year when we take a look at ourselves and our lives and decide what we’d like to improve or change.
Yep, the New Year’s Resolution. There’s very few of us that haven’t committed to them. But there’s even less that have managed to stick to them.
In fact, the year-end success rate is only about 10%. After just a month, only about 25% will have stuck to their guns. Seems hardly worthwhile, right?
But, what if I told you that by focusing on the reward of a happier and healthier pet, you will find it easier to stick to your goals?
We don’t always do what’s best for us. But when someone else is relying on us, such as your loving, furry little companion, the success rate soars to as high as 95%. That’s a staggering improvement!
Let’s take a look at some of the more common resolutions and how we can involve our pets to give us a helping paw.
Quit Smoking
So, you won’t quit smoking to save your own health. But would you consider it to keep your pet from harm’s way?
We all know that secondhand smoke can have significant impacts on the health of the people around us. But it can also cause serious health issues in our pets.
Increased Cancer Risk:
Pets in smoking households are twice as likely to get cancer.
Cats are at a higher risk, often due to ingesting toxins while grooming their fur.
Dogs with short noses, such as bulldogs or pugs, have a higher risk of lung cancer, while long-nosed breeds, such as collies, are more prone to nasal cancer.
Respiratory/Other Health Issues:
Smoke exposure in pets can also cause asthma, eye and skin issues, allergies, and general respiratory problems.
Pets can also ingest nicotine and other toxins that settle in their fur, on carpets, furniture, and other objects in their home.
Strategies for Staying on Track:
Thinking of your pet’s health and knowing that you can have a direct impact, one way or another, can help you quit. Remind yourself that quitting can help protect your pet from a preventable illness and keep them in your life for a longer time.
If you want to start small and work towards your ultimate goal of quitting, start by making your home smoke-free. This will reduce your pet’s exposure to secondhand smoke through inhalation and thirdhand smoke through contaminated surfaces in your home(including your pet’s fur). You can include your car as a smoke-free environment to further up the ante.
A good spring cleaning of your home and car to remove as many toxins and odours as possible will increase your motivation to keep your spaces fresh for you and your pet.
Engage in smoke-free activities such as walks, games of fetch in your backyard, or visits to the dog park. You can slowly transition away from smoking during these activities if your habit was to smoke during these times. Use the joy of seeing your pet enjoying their best life with you as a reminder of why you’re doing this.
A walk in the park
Walking your dog can help you and your dog get more exercise, lose weight, explore new places, reduce stress, and so much more
Live Healthier
There’s lots of resolutions that hang out under this big umbrella. A lot of us struggle to live a healthy life. Bad habits, poor food choices, a stressful, anxiety-ridden life and a lack of exercise are common plagues of the modern world.
Pets can help us establish healthy habits and routines, reduce stress, and live healthier lives. They give us motivation and the will to make our own lives better, just by being their adorable, loving selves.
Eat Healthier
Believe it or not, by focusing on providing a balanced and healthy diet for our pets, we are more likely to pay more attention to our own diets. Feeding schedules and preparing nutritious pets foods can make pet parents focus more on their own diets.
By habit stacking healthy food prep for yourself, along with your pet’s food prep, you can focus on healthier meals for all.
Establishing Routines
Taking care of your pets requires making routines that work. They have regular feeding times, potty breaks, and exercise needs. These routines can remind you to take care of yourself too. Routines can feel like being in a rut at times but if it keeps things running smoothly, and keeps your pets happy and healthy, that’s something we can all get behind.
Exercise More
Dogs, especially, can force you to get up off the couch and out the door. Besides their need for potty breaks, regular walks are essential for a dog’s physical and mental well-being.
They are the perfect workout buddy, providing non-judgmental support and encouragement to get out there and have some fun while getting in some healthy exercise.
Even your cat will benefit from a rousing play session that will get you moving and give you both much-needed motivation to get your body in motion. Cats, especially ones that stay indoors, rely on us for their mental and physical well-being. So, get up off your butt and play with your kitty cat!
Reduce Stress
Having pets is definitely good for stress reduction. But how do you incorporate that into a New Year’s resolution?
Focus on your pets and their well-being and you will be surprised how much it helps with your stress and anxiety. Just playing and cuddling with your pet will reduce stress and increase levels of oxytocin(love hormone), serotonin and dopamine(mood-elevating hormones), while reducing levels of cortisol(stress hormone).
Pets means having unconditional love and unwavering loyalty. They offer companionship to combat loneliness and isolation. They teach us to live in the moment and be grateful for the little things.
Finding new adventures
Exploring new places with your pet will let you find new wonders every single time
Explore New Places
We’re lucky to live in such a beautiful and vast country such as Canada. We can explore mountains, oceans, lakes, open fields, and forests. We can explore small towns and big cities. We can find new and beautiful places everywhere we look.
And we can bring along our pets to share in the adventures. We don’t even have to leave the country to give them a lifetime of fun and adventures. And, often, we don’t have to travel far to find our newest adventure.
Dogs will teach us a lot about finding the joy in the every day. I love exploring a new trail with Lucy. She enjoys every new smell and follows her nose to find the next.
I know that without a dog at my side, my hikes wouldn’t be as fun. I share in her joy and enthusiasm, as I shared in Jack’s, and Piper’s, before him. My dogs make me appreciate the world around me.
Want to learn something new?
Resolve to learn a new skill to make something special for your furry friend
Learn New Skills
Are you looking to shake things up a bit and try something new?
How about a class for you and your dog? Obedience classes, agility training, field trials, and scent work training can give your dog a purpose and give you a way to learn new skills along with your pup.
Do you like to garden? Resolve to plant a pet garden where you can plant only pet-friendly plants to harvest for your furry friends. Carrots, peas, broccoli, catnip, pumpkin, cucumber, or green beans are great options for a pet-friendly garden. Do your research and set aside a little area of your garden just for your fur family.
Maybe you’d like to make DIY toys for your pet. So, how about learning to crochet cat toys? Perhaps you can learn to sew to make your dog a new plush animal. Maybe you can learn woodworking to build a cat tower or an elevated stand for your dog’s bowls.
Commit to teaching your cat to play fetch or to beg for treats. Teach your dog a new trick each month. Find a way to challenge both yourself and pet while building your relationship.
Live Life to the Fullest
If there’s anything we can learn from our pets, it’s to live in the moment.
Whether it’s a sunny windowsill for your cat, or a sniff around the yard for your dog, our pets know how to enjoy the little things in life. So, let’s learn from them and seize the day!
Practice gratitude and look for the magic all around us, just like our sweet pets. Soak in all the moments we share with them and enjoy the purrs and wags!
Do you have a New Year’s resolution that includes your pet?
Tell us all about it in the comment section below.
