Blue Cross urges you to let your furry friends be their fitness gurus - The Bromsgrove Standard

Blue Cross urges you to let your furry friends be their fitness gurus

Bromsgrove Editorial 12th Jan, 2018   0

RESEARCH shows pets are the ultimate lifestyle gurus for humans and may be more effective at motivating people to achieve their healthy living goals than celebrity workout videos, wellbeing blogs and social media fitness experts.

That’s the claim being made today by Blue Cross pet charity as it reveals that 86 per cent of the new year changes Britons want to make to improve their lives, mirrors the way that dogs, cats, horses and other furries naturally live their lives.

Pets only drink water, exercise every day, live in the moment, sleep well and – with responsible owners – they usually eat a healthy diet.

Therefore, they are beacons of healthy living and the perfect inspiration for humans looking to give their lifestyle an overhaul.




The majority of pet owners need no convincing of this argument, with almost two thirds (63 per cent) of those surveyed by Blue Cross agreeing their pets would inspire them to achieve their healthy living ambitions, while three quarters (76 per cent) think they would stand a better chance of sticking to their new year’s resolutions if they followed their pets as their role models.

To showcase the lifestyle-changing power of pets, throughout January Blue Cross will be championing a selection of pets whose healthy and active lifestyles can be an inspiration to the many millions of Britons looking to make new year changes. They are effectively the very first pets to become lifestyle role models for humans.


Here’s how the Blue Cross pet lifestyle role models can inspire humans to achieve their new year goals

Dogs: 52 per cent of residents want to be more active as their path to better living. Dogs naturally enjoy exercise and are active and inquisitive, they love to be outside and they certainly make the most out of playtime, making them the ultimate role models for those humans resolved to getting more exercise. What’s more, over a third (38 per cent) of those surveyed vowed to have a more positive outlook and attitude for 2018 and beyond, 32 per cent vowed to enjoy the little things more and 30 per cent are determined to learn a new skill. All of these are traits dogs have in plentiful supply.

Cats: For those resolved to relaxing (36 per cent) and sleeping more (30 per cent), living in the moment (27 per cent) and getting more ‘me-time’ (16 per cent), cats are the perfect lifestyle role models. No matter how busy a cat’s daily schedule they will always find time to groom themselves, and they are the best at finding plenty of time for sleep. They also love to explore which expands their minds. It sounds like a pretty nice life, so when practising mindfulness why not take a page out of a cat’s book to find more time for you next year.

All four-legged friends: Whether it’s dogs, cats, rabbits or horses, all pets are world-class at spending quality time with loved ones, showing affection to others and making them laugh and feel happy. These were all traits that Britons resolved to do more in 2018 (20 per cent, 24 per cent and 48 per cent respectively), proving that yet again it’s our fun-loving furries we should be turning to for lifestyle motivation.

Karly Smith, Blue Cross animal behaviorist said: “We hope showcasing the amazing effect that animals have on people’s lives, and the role they play as every day motivators will encourage Brits to look to their pets for inspiration when it comes to sticking to their resolutions in the new year.

However, for our pets to act as role models, people need to play their role and be responsible pet owners to ensure animals of all shapes and sizes live healthy and happy lives’.”

To take inspiration from the Blue Cross pet lifestyle role models for humans, visit the Blue Cross website – www.bluecross.org.uk/livelikeapet – or Facebook page – www.facebook.com/thebluecrossUK – in January. Join in the conversation on social media using #livelikeapet

Responsible owners will ensure pets can live their naturally healthy lifestyles. With this in mind, Blue Cross has provided tips to help people be responsible pet owners so they can get the most out of their pet and allow them to be the ultimate lifestyle role model.

Most dogs naturally enjoy exercise and love the outdoors so when the weather is bad and they spend more time indoors, keep them stimulated with games.

Visit  https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/indoor-games-dogs for more/

To live for the moment like a cat, get entranced by playing with your feline friend – find out more at https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/how-play-your-cat

Dogs love learning new tricks and skills. Visit https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/training-your-dog to find out more about how to do that and the bond between person and pet will be even stronger.

And don’t forget grooming – especially for long-haired animals. Go to https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/grooming-your-dog for top tips on that.

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