5 Tips for letting your pet swim in your pool

If you are a regular reader of our blog then you know that we have Labradors and that those Labradors LOVE to swim in the Summer. We let our dogs swim right in my pool. Some people think we are crazy for letting the dogs swim in the pool. Aren't we afraid they will scratch the liner? No!

We've put these tips together to keep you, your pet, and your pool safe.

1. If you are going to let your pet swim in your pool, I would recommend you have walk in steps ( no ladders). The walk in steps allow the pets to come in and out of the pool with ease and at their own pace. If for some reason your pool does not have the walk in steps, there are kits you can purchase and install in your pool.

2. To keep your pet from getting too close to the edge of the pool ( and scratching the liner), you will need to teach him his boundaries.  Making an unpleasant noise when your pet gets too close to the edge will often deter him from going near it. Also, if your dog likes to retrieve things like ours does, try to throw the toys near the middle of the pool. Sometimes when Baylee's toys go too far near the edge, she doesn't even try to get them. She just turns around.

Also, teach your dog or pet the right way to get in and get out of the pool. If you only teach them to jump in from the edge of the pool, then that is the way that they will try to get out ( and therefore may scratch the liner). If you teach them to go in  only by the steps, then they will learn to come out by the steps.  Our Labradors are pretty smart dogs, so they caught on pretty fast. There are times where they will run and jump into the pool from the patio, but they always get out using the steps.

3. You will need to clean your swimming pool regularly. I don't mean just vacuum it. You need to be cleaning out the filter and the basket. You will get LOTS of pet hair in it. Too much pet hair clogging the filter can result in cloudy water.

4. If your dogs are swimming with you or your children, I would recommend that you either wear a one piece swim suit or that you wear a longer tank top. You'll want something to cover your belly. When dogs swim, they tend to scratch. They don't mean to, but sometimes they just do!

5. Know what your dog is capable of . If your dog is hesitant to get in the water or are unsure of them selves, you might want to put them in a Fido Float. The Fido Floats work well for older dogs that aren't as strong as they use to be. We had a Fido Float for our older Labrador.

And for a bonus tip: Make sure your dogs or pets have easy access to the outside area of the pool. Our dogs actually get out of the pool to pee. They are very polite like that!

Do you swim with your dogs?

                  

 

Thursday Thoughts: Those Bikes in the Airport

 Welcome to another edition of Thursday Thoughts. Since it's summer and many people are traveling for vacation, we thought this would be something you all might be interested in.

 

Many of you know that I travel all the time for work so I am always in and out of airports. Recently I was in an airport and I saw this.

 

 

 It's called Sit n Cycle. Why sit when you can sit and cycle? I admit I have never tried this because I am usually in a skirt and heels when I am passing through.  I have seen many people doing this while waiting for their flights, such as business men in suits, and even young kids. What a neat idea to pass the time while you are waiting on your flight.

 

And guess what? Its free! No coins ( or dollars) required!

 

I know many of you will be traveling in the next few weeks to go to the Disneyland Half Marathon. If you will be flying, take a look around the airport and see if you can find one of these bikes.

Have you ever seen this or any another fitness related activity in an airport? ~L

Tinkerbell Race Weekend Hotel and Ticket Rates.

Get a GoPicnic

I'm sure that everyone has heard of those monthly subscriptions that come right to your door, right?

 

 I have something I have been getting in the mail but it isn't monthly. It's whenever you decide you want it. It's called gopicnic. You may have heard of these and can get them at a grocery store or even Target.  Now they can come right to your door AND it's even cheaper than they would be if you bought them at the store.

These are perfect to take to work, to pack in your kid's lunch box, or even just to snack on at the house. They don't even have to be refrigerated.  Each box contains individual packages that consists of some type of crackers or chips and a dip to go with them, a trailmix, and a sweet treat,  such as gummies or a lollipop. Eat them all at once or save some for later. They are considered meals on the go. Each box is less than 500 calories. Some are even 390. 

There are many different kinds of go picnics such as gluten free, vegetarian,  and even vegan. So what ever your dietary needs are you will be able to find a gopicnic that will work for you. Not only do they have ones for lunches, they have a few breakfast options as well.

 

Here are just a few types of gopicnics that are available. Pictures are from GoPicnic.com

 

Unlike some subscriptions, shipping is NOT free, unless you do order a certain amount. But if you are going to order them anyways, why not get enough at once? Once you sign up for their mailing list, each week you will receive special discount codes for certain items.

 

I have been getting gopicnics for awhile now, but it wasn't until recently I found out that you can order them online for a discounted price.They are perfect for me to take to work since I'm always on the go anyways.  ~L

Have you ever heard of gopicnics?  What do you think of them? 

What Frustrates Me is Also What Motivates Me

We often talk about our Yellow Labradors on here but often neglect to talk about this guy. This is Dexter. He is our 14 year old Weimaraner. He is not that active anymore and he doesn't run with me cause well, he's 14. He has been having trouble with his back legs for a few years now, but other than that he's pretty healthy for  a 14 year old dog.   To help with his pain, we take him for Laser Therapy. That's where we took the picture above ( and why he has goggles on).

So why am I telling you all about this?  Well today's Tuesday's on the Run theme is "Mantras" but I'm going to turn that in to "Motivation".  As I started training for the Goofy Challenge this summer, I have been getting up earlier to run than I ever thought I would ( Think 5:30-6:00 am).  I would like to say it was because of my sheer motivation to get up and run but the truth of the matter is I've been getting up because of this guy. Because of his weak back legs, he has trouble "holding it" and has "to go" more often. This means getting up very early in the morning to leave him outside or to clean up a mess, or to just make me him more comfortable. As much as this frustrates me, it has been good motivation for me to get my butt out of bed and since I'm up, I might as well go run. But I do have to admit as of lately I have been so exhausted from constantly getting up early and cleaning up messes that I have been going back to bed ( thankfully he is taking some puppy pills so this should help him some).  Taking care of Dexter can literally be exhausting some days! 
( I know there are mothers out there that get up this early every day and take care of little ones so I can sympathize with you all)

Is there something in your life that exhausts you or frustrates  you yet keeps you motivated?

In other news we just wanted to say how sad we both are to hear about the death of Actor Robin Williams.  He was one of our favorites. Growing up, my sister and I LOVED the movie Mrs. Doubtfire.  As an adult, RV was a definite favorite of mine. His comedy will be missed for sure.

I know this is an awful picture, but this is me and Robin Williams at Madame Tussauds in New York City! I'm hopping for a Robin Williams movie marathon sometime soon.

                   Do you like Robin Williams movies? Which is your favorite?

For more Tuesdays on the Run, please visit April, Patty, and Erika.

That Time I was A Taste Tester For Pure Protein

I am always up for trying new products and when it's food, it's all the better ( with in reason of course). Have you been checking out the "Peek in Our Week" posts that we've been doing on Sundays?   Lately we've been trying to mention a product or two that we've tried throughout the week.

I've been trying this new product all month so of course I thought it deserved it's own post. 
Pure Protein is a client of Runner's World and they were looking for some taste testers to sample their products. Runner's World contacted me and asked if I would be one of the testers. I of course said "Yes".

I have to admit that I was a little hesitant at first because I haven't always been a huge fan of protein bars. I've often thought that they were dry, thick, and and tasteless ( I've come to find out that it was only a certain kind of protein bar that taste like this).

The flavors I was sent were Chocolate Salted Caramel, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Dark Chocolate Coconut.  The day that my shipment arrived I had just come home from the grocery store and I was really craving some caramel cookies ( I didn't buy them). So of course the first  bar I tried was the Salted Caramel. OMG, everything I ever thought about protein bars being dry and tasteless went right out the window!  This was FABULOUS!

                  Here are the three flavors that I was sent to try and their nutritional content.

I can't decide which is my favorite flavor. I eat one bar for breakfast each day before my run. Without trying to sound too "commercial-ly" I want to tell you this true story. Last Wednesday I decided to switch things up a bit so I just had a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter on it. I then went out for my run. By mile 2, I was completely sluggish. I don't ever feel like that on days when I've eaten a Pure Protein bar for breakfast.

On days where I know that I will be going back out for a run in the evening when Scott gets home, I'll have one for a snack before we go.

 

Tiny pieces of goodness! This is the Dark Chocolate Coconut and it tasted like the chocolate coconut eggs that you get at Easter time!

I never took notice of these bars at my local grocery store until I decided to actually look for them last week. I was quite surprised when I saw the additional flavors that were available.

Don't these flavors look yummy? I have enjoyed the Pure Protein bars that I was sent so much that when I finish up my supply, I will certainly be buying them at the grocery store. I should have actually stocked up this week because I noticed they were on sale for  $1 a bar!

I do not have to say this, but I believe Pure Protein bars are an excellent source of tasty protein pre or post work out. I'm not too sure I would use it during my workout/run because I run outside and I worry that it might start to melt.  To me, they don't taste like the average protein bar ( they are much tastier). I would actually want to eat these even if I wasn't working out/running. They also curb my cravings for sweet things like cookies and brownies!   ~M

Which flavor would you want to try? Have you been pleasantly surprised by a protein bar that tasted great? if so, which ones?

* Even though I was compensated for my experience, all opinions are my own and after testing these bars I will certainly become a paying customer of Pure Protein.

A Peek In My Week

Recently I came across this article that said are you overdoing it? After reading it I thought to myself could this be me?

So I know that I never have a "real training plan" when preparing for races (because of my work schedule). But after signing up for the RnR race in V.A. Beach I thought maybe I should step it up a bit. I got a new schedule at work so instead of going into work in the morning, I am getting done in the morning.

Sat-8 miles on my one day off between changing work schedules for the month.

Sun-7 miles before going into work.

Mon-After getting done at work by 7am, there was no reason not to get a run in before it got too hot that afternoon. After completing 3 miles. I felt it was time to splurge for new sneakers, since I haven't gotten my last pair since April.

 

Tues- Completed 7 miles in my new Aasics Preleus sneakers.

 

                                                                   They are very comfy.

Wed-Completed another 8 miles after getting up super early on my last day of work for the week.

Thurs- Caught up on my sleep and slept in all morning. By the time I got up and around it was too hot to do run outside, so I did a 3 mile interval workout on the treadmill and lifted weights for another 30 minutes. I haven't lifted in awhile and thought I was due.

Fri- When I woke up the next day, my whole body hurt. I wasn't in any pain, like an injury, just sore from lifting the day before. It's funny how just a little bit of lifting makes a difference. Running was the last thing I wanted to do. But knowing that tomorrow I would not be getting a workout in because I am going out of town, I knew I had to do something today. Then I remembered this quote" The only run you will regret is the one you don't do". So that's just what I did. I laced up my sneakers and headed out the door. I did a 2 mile warm up followed by a 3 mile track workout and ending with another 2 mile cool down. When I finished my run I remembered another quote a lady had once said in a seminar I was at. "You are never going to come back from a run and say, I wish I wouldn't have done that."
 

After my full week of working out every day, I will be looking forward to taking a day off tomorrow. I just want to put on my compression sock and sit in my foot massager.

Do you ever feel like you overdo it too much? How do you recover?   ~L