Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight. Show all posts

Monday, 22 October 2012

Pounds for Parvo-Health and Fitness Challenge





6 Week Challenge - $100.00 minimum donation per person 
The entire goal of the challenge is to help people reach their health and fitness goals in a safe and healthy manner!
How it works:
Once a participant donates their minimum donation of $100.00, they will be invited to join our challenge’s Facebook page. They will also be emailed a launch package.

There will be a series of set rules that everyone will need to follow as part of the challenge:
Eat 3-5 small meals per day.
Drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Get 3-5 sessions of exercise per week, minimum of 20 minutes per session.  

Each week we will post a new weekly health challenge; we will start small and build on to it each week, while still incorporating the rules from the weeks before.

Each week we will post three workouts with our Revive Fitness professional, Ainsley McSorley, which people will be able to modify to their own fitness level. We will incorporate all forms of fitness, such as cardio, weight training, yoga, pilates etc.  All which can be done from the comfort of your own home.

Each week we will post a fun “pup related” post such as an activity you can do with your pet etc.

Motivation and Support:
Our online forum will be a place where people can network, motivate, encourage and inspire one another. We want people to connect and really help one another reach their goals.

To encourage discussions and get people connected, we will post discussion topics, request participation, encourage participants etc.

To keep everyone motivated and on track, throughout each week we will post healthy recipes, links to helpful websites (such as food trackers, health sites etc.), meal plan ideas, fun fitness ideas and health information etc.

About Parvovirus:
Canine Parvovirus (Parvo) is a virus that affects the intestinal tract of susceptible dogs, often young puppies, and is fatal without (and sometimes with) very lengthy, intensive, and expensive treatment. Parvo costs us a minimum of $1000 per dog (without complications) to treat.

For more information, visit http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/parvovirus-in-dogs or ask your vet.

About Our Sponsor:

Revive Fitness is a Winnipeg-based heath & fitness centre with two locations: the BRAND NEW Holiday Inn Airport Polo Park, 1740 Ellice Ave and 107 Burning Glass Rd. in Sage Creek. They offer a huge variety of fitness classes and training in their state of the art facilities with top notch trainers to help you achieve your goals. Visit their website at http://www.revivewinnipeg.com/index.html for more information!

Our sponsoring trainer, Ainsley McSorley: “Ainsley believes that each individuals training needs are different and ensures that every client she works with gets that individual care. Ainsley aspires to motivate and inspire all of her clients to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle while achieving their fitness goals.”  Ainsley is the owner of Revive Fitness, is a Certified Personal Trainer and Oxygen cover model, and holds a BSc in Human Nutrition. We are so very excited to have her guidance for this challenge!

Take the challenge and reach your goals TODAY! 
To register, please email corporate@mbmutts.org. Challenge starts November 12! 


Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Nutrition and Healthy Body Condition


By: MMDR

Keeping your dog healthy:
We all know that most dogs love to eat!  However, feeding them high calorie foods and treats can literally kill them with kindness.  Dogs that spend their lives overweight or obese are at a much greater risk of organ failure, joint problems, digestive upsets, diabetes, and many more ailments.  Underweight dogs are not at their healthiest either, and may begin having issues with maintaining muscle mass or staying active. 

How do I know if my dog is a healthy weight?
The most useful tool in knowing whether your dog needs to lose (or gain) a few pounds is a chart that veterinarians use to assign a body score to dogs, cats, horses, and other companion animals.  You will assess the look and feel of the major areas of the body that store fat.  Below is a simplified version of the chart that vets use.


*Feed Your Best Friend Better
It is helpful to have an unbiased person help you to assess your dog.  We all see our pets through rose-coloured glasses, and it can be difficult to accept that your dog is overweight!  You vet, a vet tech, or even a groomer or trainer should be more than willing to help you decide where your pet sits on this chart overall.  Some variation from the ideal is OK, but the closer to ideal you can maintain your dog, the healthier she will be! 

How do I help my dog maintain a healthy weight?

  • Exercise:

Daily exercise is crucial in keeping your dog fit and healthy!  Much like in humans, 30 or more minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise is ideal.  Some dogs may need much more than this to maintain a healthy lifestyle!  You do not have to limit your exercise to leash walks.  Try swimming, agility, or even skijoring (skiing behind a harnessed dog)!  Playing with other dogs can be great exercise too, if you are able to visit dog parks and doggy daycares on occasion.

  • Diet:

A healthy diet is equally important to exercise.  Whatever your dog’s main source of food (kibble, homemade diet or raw food), make sure that he or she is getting the nutrients necessary without taking in excessive calories.  Treats such as fat balls (kibble rolled in cooled lard), peanut butter or cheese whiz may thrill your dog, but they can also contribute to weight problems and diseases like Pancreatitis (a painful condition caused by consuming too much fat).  Some great low calorie treats for dogs include:
·      Carrots
·      Broccoli
·      Apple slices
·      Sugar snap peas or green beans
·      Small pieces of lean meat (chicken breast, etc)
·      Antler chews provide nutrients without calories, and even help to clean your dog’s teeth!
Before trying out new foods for your dog, please talk to a vet or other pet professional to make sure that it is safe.  Also, only introduce one new food every few days to rule out allergic reactions or stomach upsets! 

What kind of dog food should I feed?
If you are shopping around for a new brand of dog food and choose to feed dry kibble, make sure that you choose one that is appropriate for your dog’s age, activity level, and size.  Good quality dog foods have meat or meat meal listed as the first (and preferably second) ingredients.  Meat by-products are not desirable.  Many dogs have allergies to various grains (wheat, corn, oats, barley, etc.), so make sure you watch out for itchiness, watery eyes, etc. when you switch foods.  Always switch food slowly by gradually decreasing the old food and increasing the new food over a period of at least 4-5 days; preferably over a week. 
Most veterinarians do not currently condone raw food, but many people do still feed this way!  If you choose to feed your dog raw food, make sure that you practice safe food handling and be aware of how parasites are spread through raw meat.  Talk to someone who knows how to safely feed raw foods before beginning this transition.
If you opt for homemade meals for your dog, take care to put in only nutritious, safe ingredients.  Lean meats, sweet potato, potato, rice, and certain fruits or vegetables are great options.  Again, please talk to your veterinarian or pet professional before attempting to feed a homemade diet to ensure your dog gets the nutrition he or she needs! 

Resources and further reading:
*Borrowed with permission from: Feed Your Best Friend Better by Rick Woodford, published by Andrews McMeel, $16.99