Treat Yourself as Well as You Treat Your Pet

Ask yourself this question: "Do I treat myself as well as I treat my pet?"

(If you don't have a pet, pretend any animal, such as Bo Obama, belongs to you.)

I've occasionally thought about this when dealing with my dog. When I go into the kitchen, Shaka comes in as well, looking at me with his soft brown eyes, trying to convince me he's starving (even if he's just eaten). Sometimes I give in, but usually I remind myself that it's not the best thing. Maybe I would indulge him more if he didn't have elbow dysplasia but since he does, I have to think about his health and not overfeed him just because he entreats me with a pitiful look.

There's a parallel between my dog and myself. It might be a good idea, I've thought, to treat myself like I treat my dog. This has become even more important ever since I had surgery for arthritis. Although I learned that extra pounds put undue pressure on knees, I've almost defiantly added more weight because I wanted to appease my own puppy eyes rather than look at the big picture and eat accordingly.

So now I think, What's more important? Giving in to my every food craving or taking my health into account when I eat? Like my dog, just because I want to eat something doesn't mean I have to, particularly if I'm not even hungry. I might not want to work out, but if I want my knees to function properly, I have to do some kind of movement.

You can apply this to your own life as well. Strive to treat yourself as well as you treat your pet.
· Make sure to get enough sleep each night.
· Move your body so you don't become physically or mentally stir crazy.
· Ensure that you spend time around other people, but also carve out quiet time for yourself.
· Realize that, just as your pet shouldn't eat everything he sees, you probably shouldn't either.

The last thing I'm suggesting, though, is to go on a diet. Diets suck. Just as you wouldn't starve your pet, there's no reason to starve yourself. Maybe, though, when instinctively reaching for a second desert, you say, "Nah, I think I've already had enough". Perhaps when debating whether to buy a food product that only contains unnatural ingredients, you decide to pass on it. Maybe instead of mindlessly consuming everything you see, you really consider what you'd like to eat and then enjoy it.

In essence, let's consider our own welfare as we do our pets and treat ourselves at least as well as we treat them.

* If you treat yourself as well as you treat your pet, what would that entail?
* What things would you do differently?
* Most importantly: are you up for the challenge?
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Comments

[SUTTERSTREET]

Very interesting concept. I may have modified it to say treat yourself as you would treat anyone you care about. Many times, though, we are not as careful with people we care about as we are with our pets because people can verbally plead their case, good or bad. Our pets, on the other hand, are totally dependent upon us, and many times, if not most times, we consider what is best for them over the long haul.

The same as we should do for ourselves because most of us will be here for the long haul, and the healthier we are the more we will enjoy the journey. Thanks for the insights.

[RMankovitz]

Great concept, but the actual execution leaves much to be desired.

I am referring to the state of the health of our pets. The vet industry is booming with the very same medical specialists that treat humans - there are now more than 23 veterinary specialties. Just like humans, our pets lead long and sick lives.

Two decades of research into illness prevention, using nature as a template, took me in the direction of zoology, paleopathology, zoopharmacognosy (animal self healing), ethnobotany, and primatology. I learned an enormous amount about wellness by studying the animal kingdom.

My personal opinion is that feeding pets such as cats and dogs the Frankenfoods in cans and bags that pretend to be pet food is akin to animal cruelty. The same is true of feeding our own bodies the junk most humans eat.

My wife and I are "staff" to two magnificent Tonkinese cats that are tenth generation raised on their natural diet. Hopefully, they will never see the inside of a vet's office. They are in perfect health, have beautiful coats and teeth, and a great disposition. They eat virtually all parts of raw ground-living animals, and munch on grass occasionally to act as a purgative. They have never eaten anything in a can or a bag. I have worked closely with the breeder of these beauties, who, like me, believes in treating animals as nature intended. See http://www.celestialpets.com .

Roy Mankovitz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com

[moodyring]

treating myself like my pet would mean i'd go for a walk (or something else) every day. if i knew a certain food could make me sick, i wouldn't eat it. i'd make sure i got a massage regularly. i'd take naps whenever i wanted to (which would be ideal, but is impractica­l/impossib­le). it would mean that taking care of myself is something i focus on instead of it being an afterthought.