HOW PETS IMPROVE OUR HEALTH

By: Susan Gazerro

I possess two favorite passions, pets and fitness, both of which can improve our health. Each can be beneficial to our well-being, but in this article, I will explain how combining the two can improve one’s overall health, even moreso. All pets, but especially dogs and cats, not only help us physically by encouraging exercise and improving our cardiovascular health, they also help our mental health by reducing our stress, anxiety, depression, and can even ease loneliness.

Those of us who have pets know that they are just like family members. Pets need food, safety, love, and exercise. You have to provide all of these to your pet, but your pet gives back so much more in return. When I say they improve one’s overall health, that includes our mind, body, and soul.

It has been scientifically proven that pets can help their human caregivers live longer, happier, and healthier lives, both mentally and physically. Let’s start with mental health. As mentioned, pets can alleviate worries, stress, and depression. Those of you with pets may have noticed that your pet wastes no time noticing and then springing into action when you are upset or sad. For those of you who don’t have pets, trust me, they know. They immediately go into “comfort mode,” as they sense something is wrong. Their intuition is what makes them a great support, and therapy animals and animal-assisted therapy are effective in treating PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Having to establish a routine for your pet with feeding, walking, etc., gives you a purpose, and that contributes to a healthy emotional state, as well.

“A 2016 Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) study explored the role of pets in the social networks of people managing a long-term mental health problem.

Pets were found to contribute to a stronger sense of identity in pet owners with mental health conditions, including reducing negative perceptions of a mental health condition or diagnosis.

Pets provide a sense of security and routine in the relationship, which reinforces stable cognition.

Pets provide a distraction and disruption from distressing symptoms, such as hearing voices, suicidal thoughts, rumination, and can facilitate routine and exercise for those who care for them.

Now, let’s move on to how pets help to improve our physical health. Every step counts. I have written numerous articles about walking as much as you can. When you visit the mall, walk all of the floors and avoid the escalators and elevators. Park your car further away from the entrance to add in some extra steps. Walk up and down all of the aisles at the supermarket.

Having a dog will certainly help to increase your exercise and daily steps. A dog needs exercise just the same as their caregivers do. It has been proven that people who own dogs are less likely to be obese. As a fitness instructor, I have spoken about the most important muscle in the body, on many occasions, namely the heart muscle. Your heart is one of the biggest areas to see the full benefits of owning a pet. Just the presence of an animal will have a significant impact on one’s blood pressure. Pet owners are known to have lower blood pressure than people without pets.

According to the HABRI, cat parents also have healthy heart benefits. A feline friend in your home reduces your risk of death due to cardiovascular diseases, including strokes and heart attacks. People without cats have a 40% higher relative risk of heart attack than non-cat owners.

Here are some additional facts I found while researching how pets may improve your health:

Approximately 60% of dog walkers met the criteria for regular, moderate, and/or vigorous leisuretime physical activity, compared to about 45% for non-dog owners and dog owners who did not walk their dog, in the 2005 Michigan Behavioral Risk Factor Survey.

In a study of adults over the age of 50, with mildly elevated blood pressure, the presence of a pet, either dog or cat, had a significant impact on blood pressure, with dog ownership being associated with lower diastolic and systolic blood pressure, compared to people who did not own pets.

A study of over 2,400 cat owners concluded that there was a significantly lower relative risk for death due to cardiovascular diseases, including stroke and heart attack, compared to non-owners, during a 20-year follow-up.

Now, let’s talk about how pets can improve the aging process. Research has shown that older adults get social and emotional support from their pets, which goes a long way to combat loneliness and depression. Aside from promoting exercise and reducing stress, pets can also assist in the treatment of long-term diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

I also want to mention the extraordinary intuition of our pets. They are inbred with an intuition we humans don’t have. They can sense potential dangerous situations before we can. They also sense when a human is sad, or even dying. They are more loyal than most humans, but never ask for anything in return. There truly is no better companion than a precious pet, so do your very best to reciprocate by tending to their needs and by providing all of the love and affection they deserve.

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Fill your home or office with green and make 2023 come alive!

It is no secret that the recent pandemic forced an infinite number of changes throughout seemingly every level of our society. These changes run the gamut of negative to positive and everywhere in between. While these certainly may appear to be obvious statements, every time an example is provided, it serves to further solidify these points.

One such example of this is East Providence, RI’s Cheer UP Athletics.

Cheer UP Athletics is a competitive cheerleading gym, which was located in Providence, RI, for 6 years.

At the tail-end of this time period, the pandemic reared its ugly head, and as with many businesses, forced a literal standstill with the majority of Cheer UP’s operations.

As the unforeseen tidal wave of disruption that COVID brought upon us all crept up on Cheer UP, they were, at that time, on quite the trajectory of growth. Being forced to come to a grinding halt when so many exciting things were happening all around them, was as devastating a blow as one can imagine any business to experience.

Fast forward to the point where we were all beginning to come out of the pandemic, and suddenly Cheer UP was faced with circumstances that had them essentially pick up where things left off leading into the pandemic, and the serious need for new space was suddenly back upon them, as well as all of the pressures that went along with it.

After quite the search, a place was found in East

Providence that definitely was suitable, but would require an enormous amount of work to come close to making the space even remotely viable for the program. The new lease was signed, construction began, and Cheer UP officially moved its operations from Providence to East Providence in the summer of 2022.

Whereas the space in Providence was a tight-fitting 4,500 square feet, Cheer UP’s new home in East Providence is a sprawling almost 13,000 square foot facility, with ceilings that approach 40 feet tall.

The facility boasts space for three full - 9-panelSpring Floors, though the current configuration has a strategic layout with one regular Spring Floor, one set of ‘Dead Mats’ (a cheer floor without a spring base underneath it), and what is certainly something extraordinarily unique, a Full Spring Floor set into the gym’s massive concrete floor, providing an illusion that one is walking on a regular floor, when in fact, they are standing on an actual competition Spring Floor (VERY cool!).

Though still completing certain elements of construction as this article is being written, the facility’s design includes a foam pit (which we are told that athletes are beyond excited about), a rod floor, and plenty of parent room and athlete lounge space.

As if the new facility in and of itself were not enough to be hyped up about, the list of riveting items Cheer UP has happening at the moment is quite long.

The summer of 2022, not only marked the gym’s new move, but it was also the launching point of a new YouTube series focusing on Cheer UP, as they were followed and observed on their day in and day out preparation for competition, as well as everything that goes along with it.

The series has been primarily focused on one of the teams - Reckless - but has also showcased a number of the other teams involved in its programming.

Speaking of showcase, in November 2022, Cheer UP had a ‘Showcase’ in which it invited family members of the teams to come in and see all of the teams in Cheer UP’s Full Year program perform their routines for the first time, publicly.

It was a fun day for all.

The mayor of East Providence (Bob DaSilva) even stopped by to take in the performances and to welcome Cheer UP to their new home in the City of East Providence.

Cheer UP continues to offer a wide variety of programming, highlighted by their Full Year competition cheer teams.

The Full Year program runs June through the following May and would definitely be considered to be the ultimate experience when it comes to what Cheer UP has to offer, especially because of how successful Cheer UP’s Full Year teams have placed at competitions over the years!

In addition to Full Year, Cheer UP also has a Half Year program (running from December through April), a ‘FUNdamentals’ program (geared toward the youngest of athletes), Team & Open Tumble Programs (where kids of all ages learn how to flip), and gym rentals (where Cheer UP rents out their space to other area cheer programs needing a place to practice).

As exhilarating as things have been throughout the early history of the program, it is safe to say that the thrilling nature of the All-Star Cheerleading experience at Cheer UP Athletics has only just begun!