Dog Walk Motivation Running High,Thanks to the Walking Challenge

by Carrie Boyko, CEB

Back in March I announced my entry into a Dog Walker's support group of sorts. I officially started April 1, the day my round of two back two back groups of company left town. It was good timing.

I am finding that the idea of having someone expecting to hear my progress is motivation in itelf. My original plan was to check in with Katie, our fearless leader, at the end of each month. But today she beat me to the punch. I guess that's good, as some of us may not have been sticking with the plan. She was on her cheerleading tour, making sure everyone is paying attention to keeping on track.


I've had one hiccup this month--a 3 day long migraine that put me in low gear, to be sure. I have not been having migraine headaches for about 5 years now, but early this week that changed. 


I'm not sure what brought it on, other than the voluminous flowers that erupted on the Jasmine outside. I'm deathly allergic, but have never had a migraine reaction that I recall. Whatever caused it, it was a bad one. I'm back on track as of today. Yesterday and today Tanner, Oliver and I did some extra tracks through our suburban area, exploring nearby neighborhoods in the cool morning air. This is my favorite time of the year to walk; it was glorious. Tanner and Oliver thought so too.


We took a few detours to avoid large areas of Jasmine. Hopefully this helped to keep me from getting another whopper. Since I pledged to walk 2 miles a day, every day I miss means 2 more miles added to another day. What was I thinking? I didn't even allow myself a day off! I guess I'll learn from this experience. Hopefully you'll consider this when you pledge your miles.


Today I joined the Facebook page for Katie's site and the group, and updated her on my progress at her site: Lessons from 4 Legs. I think she was pleased and this made me feel proud, if only because I made up 3 days of 'sick time'. 


I was surprised that I had not already "Liked" her FB page, and pleased to see everything that is going on there: polls about what reinforces your dog, giveaways, Earth day ideas for your dog and much more. Looks like Katie and I are on the same page about living a greener lifestyle.


Enough rambling, I'm really here today to invite you to join Katie's Walking Challenge. She is extending the membership option through the end of June and enticing members with a nice prize package. I guess I should tell you it's free. The goal is simply to help everyone join forces to encourage one another. 


I'm curious about her prize package, but she's not naming everything except to say it will all be homemade, so I guess it will be a surprise. I like surprises, don't you? And it sounds sort of Etsy-ish; cool!


Before I wrap this up, I thought I'd share another idea I got from Katie (she's a bubbling bonanza of bow wow ideas!). I mentioned that I've been scribbling my miles on my planner and it's rather messy, crowded, etc. She then proceeded to introduce me to a really cool online place to track your exercise: Map My Walk. I checked it out today and wish I had started it from the getgo. It's a super cool way to keep track of your fitness, nutrition, goals, events and more. There's even a mapping function and you can access it with your iPhone or Blackberry. Who needs a planner? I'm really old school, huh?

So, if you're in need of some moral support to get in your daily walks with Fido, this may be your ticket. Just stop by her site, leave a comment with your name, your dogs' names and the number of miles you plan to walk for the remainder of the year. You can check in periodically and update her on your progress. She keeps a record in her sidebar, so

there you have your ultimate motivation.

Imagine having your name in someone's sidebar with an obvious "I'm behind on my dogs' walks" sign hanging there. Yikes! Hope to see you there soon. Happy tails!

© A. Boyko
Biking Counts Too!
Oliver Wants to Race

And as always, don't forget to visit 5 Minutes for Fido, where Tanner and Oliver spout off their opinions and generally offer up silliness.