FitLabPGH is a podcast about movement and movement opportunities in the Pittsburgh, PA area. Once a week we also highlight a FitLabPGH mover…someone who understands that movement is a lifestyle…not just an activity. The questions are lightly edited to allow for easy readability. Click FitLabPGH Features for more info if you want to be featured/know someone who should be featured.
This Week: Special Feature – Puddin the Yellow Lab’s 1-Year Report
Puddin the Yellow Lab has recently completed her first year with the FitLabPGH team. She wanted to take the opportunity to share a few of her first year highlights…and to offer her advice on coping with the restrictions of COVID-19.
What are your three favorite movement activities from your first year in the Pittsburgh area? Jumping over fallen trees in Mingo Creek Park. Hiking and running with my friend Maggie the Black Lab…bonus points if we get to hike through mud or water. Wrestling with Maggie.
Any advice for humans whose movement routines have been disrupted by Stay-at-Home orders? You don’t need a gym or an event to make movement part of your lifestyle! I make movement a priority every day…I run up and down the stairs. I wrestle in the living room…and the kitchen…and the bedroom. And if Ben doesn’t take us to the park, I run extra laps in the back yard.
What’s your favorite food treat since moving to the Pittsburgh area? Carrots! Or blueberries…or maybe that plain Greek yogurt Ben puts on his steel cut oats…and I LOVE ice cubes…was that too long of an answer?
Any suggestions for humans who are bored at home? If you get bored, take a nap…or chew something…maybe chew something then go take a nap. Other ideas: wrestle with your roommate; bark at the UPS delivery person; snuggle with the cats.
What’s your greatest accomplishment in your first year at FitLabPGH? I learned to go up and down the stairs! Climbing the stairs wasn’t very difficult…but I was really nervous about going down the stairs. I made Ben carry me down like a princess for several days…that was fun…but I’m excited to have the independence of running up and down on my own…especially when one of the cats is misbehaving in the middle of the night…I go downstairs to investigate and report back to the humans.
What are your favorite home recovery or self-care practices? I’m stealing my answer from the FitLabPGH cats, and all of you humans should add these two items to your daily agenda: 1) Make sure you get enough sleep! Worried that you haven’t slept enough? Make time for a nap, preferably curled up with another dog, a cat, and a human. 2) Take time for daily mobility work – a couple of moves to try: upward-facing-dog and downward-facing-dog.
Any last thoughts for humans coping with a Stay-At-Home order? Appreciate the little things, like carrying a stick on your walk, wrestling with a friend, or taking a nap on a Rumpl blanket.
Contact info for Puddin the Yellow Lab:
The Labs of FitLabPGH do not maintain their own social media accounts, but you can keep up with them through the following FitLabPGH accounts:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitlabpgh/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fitlabpgh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fitlabpgh