Where the Wild Things Are

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

I have an eight month old Border Collie called Meg. She is far from perfect (and so am I).
Today she has been about 60/40 good. The 40 included chewing up my camera memory card which DH is sure he put safely on the mantelpiece. Every time I look down at this screen she takes a quick munch of the coffee table with her eyes on mine. This despite a 2 hour walk which included much in and out of streams.

How do you manage to keep going for the 20 mins? Is it painful at the time? I'm tempted....

The idea of being better toned through just 20 min is very appealing - I am SO wobbly and hate it! How many times a week do they recommend?

Totally off dog topic!

It's not painful the first time - until later/the next day. Second day it does hurt while you're doing it, but it eases as you go through it.

The post exercise muscle pain eases after about day 3 and then you just start to feel stronger.

You do get another blip each time you go up a level, but nowhere near as bad.

Some people do 30 days straight. 10 of level 1, 10 of level 2 and 10 of level 3, but a lot of people take at least one rest day off a week. I've done both at different times and think I'll probably do it 6 days a week this time.

It is very effective for boosting strength and fitness quickly and fantastic for toning your core, arms and legs.

Once I'd finished it last time I moved onto Banish Fat Boost Metabolism. Then a mix of both. BFBM is 40 minutes and comprises roughly 6 minute circuits, but includes some kickboxing moves and I think it's more fun. I used to just do the 2 kickboxing circuits, plus the main abs one if I was short on time.

It's going to be a long haul to get me back to that stage again though. I'm horrified at how unfit I am.

You've had a lot more to contend with than most have so go easy on yourself. And the main thing is that now you're feeling well enough to return to this and you've actually started so that's really positive. Once you've lost a level of fitness it's much easier to give up and stay that way.

Good luck with tomorrow!

I had an odd walk today with a friend I meet most weds and her springer/lab 18 month old. Haven't seen them for 4 weeks with holidays. Usually minty and this lovely small but strong/fit bitch play and run together really happily. Today minty started humping her as soon as they were off lead. I had to grab him and check the bitch wasn't on heat, she wasn't so we carried on walking but minty continued to hump, hassle and chase her despite her giving a few serious growls. I was mortified at his persistence! In our 45 min walk, I had to grab his collar and restrain him about 10 times as he was just being too annoying and not stopping when the other dog told him to.

Is this about time to see the vets for castration? We have decided to do it anyway but just working out right time.

It really dominated the whole walk for me as I was constantly telling him off and giving him time outs. My friend was relaxed about it and pleased that her dog was so assertive.

Thanks minty. I have just hated being immobile and getting more and more overweight and less and less fit. I know it will take time to come back, but I'm impatient by nature! I am glad I've started though, as the biggest hurdle for me was the first workout and now that's out of the way - health permitting - it should all be onwards and upwards from here. I'm giving myself 6 months to shift the weight and get back to a reasonable state of fitness, so I am being realistic really.

Re minty's escapades. Humping can be just as much about over-excitement as it can be a sexual thing. It could just be that he was so overjoyed at seeing his old friend that he couldn't contain himself.

I would have a chat with your vet about the best time to neuter and also ask on the OES forum you mentioned before, as they'll be the experts for your breed.

Good for you moose - I did couch to 5k last year and the worst bit was the start when I thought it would never happen but it was amazing how quickly my fitness levels picked up

Feeling v proud of my pup - he was promoted to the advanced class at training last night - he behaved perfectly the entire session and was being used as a demonstration model

Well done Fitz!

I am sooo sore this morning. Dsis is coming over to work out with me though, so will try a long dog walk first to loosen up.

Very impressed by all the fitness training! I am so unfit and really need to lose around 2 stone. Have started a diet - dh was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes last November and changed his lifestyle more or less overnight - watches what he eats and cycles to keep fit. He's lost 3 stone, GP took him of the diabetes meds after about 1 month and his cholesterol and blood pressure came down to normal ranges. I'm kind of on the same diet (although mine allows wine!) but really not doing any exercise apart from dog walking.
Impressed by Fitz moving to advanced class - Angus has test for bronze award in a month but to be honest unless we really get somewhere with his recall I don't think he'll pass.

Is the shred suitable for someone with really dodgy knees, I am embarrassingly unfit and struggling with menopausal joint pain too and wondered if I should attempt the shred? Dog walking is really the only exercise I do atm.

Well, I ended up shredding then dog-walking, due to the torrential rain. Not that it worked, as the rain just got worse and I have just been for what I think may be the wettest dog walk I've ever had!

Lurcherboy wasn't bothered by the rain and Pip had his raincoat on but was still a bit wussy to begin with, until he realised, lots of rain = empty park and lots of zoomies!

NCIS I have joint hypermobility syndrome and my joints have also been worse since becoming peri-menopausal. Some people find the shred hard on the knees and I have heard of knee injuries, but to be honest, it's usually down to form. It's very important you make sure you are standing right and doing the positions exactly as she says, so that you don't put extra stress on the knees or injure yourself. I'm a touch paranoid about injury - being fairly accident prone anyway and I spent the first time I did it doing lower repetitions while I concentrated on perfecting the right positions through each level, so I didn't injure myself. She does give you tips about never letting your knee go over your toes in a lunge for example and I've never had a problem myself, but someone I was chatting to online that was doing it the same time as me the second time injured her knee.

I'm another peri menopausal one with joint problems! In fact I also have a worsening of my menstrual migraines, apparently due to menopause (though I'm assured once you're post men these type of migraines reduce/disappear!)

Anyway I've just referred myself privately to a registered dietician for analysis of my current food and suggestions aimed at reducing menopausal symptoms. So if anyone's interested I'll share her results with you.

BB - fabulous work there! I am envious about being the demo model. In all our 12 or so lessons minty hasn't been picked once and trainer is good about going round the group. DS2 asked me if we could ask the trainer specifically to use minty just once as a demo but I think that's probably not the done thing!

I'm in the middle of packing boxes to move house and Finn has decided I'm not doing it right so is removing the tape from the boxes as soon as my back is turned, perhaps I can train him to unpack for me at the other end.

Mint, I have suffered from severe complex migraine all my adult life, but never had menstrual migraine until I became peri-menopausal - now I have killers every single month. I was also told they disappear once you get through the menopause.

I know what reduces my normal migraines - diet wise - it's clean eating, which isn't easy, but extremely worth it. I did it last time I lost my weight and it really does work, although am not as obsessive about it as some people are as I do eat small amounts of processed foods, but try to choose healthier ones that haven't been mucked about with or have lots of additives. I'm doing the same this time and feel so much better for it already, after less than a week. Most important thing I've found to cut out is refined sugar and white carbs (which are essentially the same thing). Not easy for me as I have always been a real sugar addict. I have to go cold turkey on it and usually suffer with horrible headaches and mood swings for a few days, but then find the cravings are gone and I can just get on with it. Not having such a problem this time though, perhaps because I was already cutting down slowly before I started my diet.

NCIS Pip would do that. Dismantling boxes is one of his great loves in life - which is ok, as long as they're empty and we've given them to him, but wasn't so great when he decided to unpack the last dog-food delivery himself!

Well it seems the sun being out today has brought out hordes of dogwalkers.

I can usually guarantee the park to myself between 1.30 and 2.30 every day, but not today. There were no fewer than 6 labs there when I arrived, plus a Westie, then came two little Shih Tzu's, then a JRT, then a Goldie with another Lab. Not a soul in there yesterday, as it was raining, so I guess all those dogs missed yesterday's walk and all came today instead.

... and today was the day Pip chose to bark at every single dog he saw from a distance. Just spent an hour in the park standing watching other dogs, saying 'quiet' and rewarding him, he'd get over it with one dog then start on the next.

Not big barks, just single 'wuffs', but I don't want it to escalate.

Some bright spark had dropped blinking gravy bones all the way around as well, so in between the 'quiets' were constant 'leaves'. Not the most fun I've ever had on a dog walk.

Earlier in the week the lady in the house next to the park had put out a water bowl and a huge pile of kibble right at the entrance to the park. I know she's a massive dog lover, but really? I couldn't work out what was going on when my two suddenly stopped walking to heel and accelerated towards the border - no wonder they suddenly took off with an enormous pile of dog food staring them in the face.

We're off to a VW show over bh weekend. There will be hundreds of dogs there, all on lead and usually with lovely natures, as they're all family pets that go to all the summer shows. Will be taking bags and bags of treats, rewarding all the right behaviours and hoping he will just get bored of seeing them by the end of the day. We usually only go for the afternoon, but plan to do a whole day this time to ensure Pip has maximum exposure. If he really can't cope I'll take him back to the camper and we can hang out there while dh, Lurcherboy and the dcs do the rest of the show, but I think he'll be ok - based on recent walks (excluding today's hiccough) at busy parks.

Ooh have fun at the show moose - no sun here just more rain :(

Have fun at the show Moose.

Sun is out here too. Maz had a lovely walk with best BT twin buddie this morn. They had a lovely romp through the fields together. Keep your fingers crossed for his lovely little pal though as his owner has had lots of tests done recently on him.as he has very regular bouts of random illness. The vet says the scan shows raises lymph nodes so is having more tests. Worrying as he is a month younger than Maz. Want it to be nothing nasty

After 3 days of gruelling work (I feel like I have joined one of these exercise plans!) We managed to help get my parents moved today. It was hard and emotional (downsizing from their dream house for financial reasons) but the deed is now done. It was harder as the house was a labour of love by my grandad and both my grandparents loved the place and we have lost them both in the time my parents have been there. Tears were shed when we left including the new owners! But it is a 'happy' house and has a young family to enjoy that huge garden so all good.

Fingers crossed for Maz's friend - sounds worrying :(

And I'm not surprised you've found the last few days gruelling, fan - moving from a much-loved family home is extremely emotional

Thank you.

Will keep everything crossed for Maz's little buddy.

Moving house is hellish - hard on both body and soul.

I have managed 4 days straight of the shred. Am beyond exhausted, but relieved I was able to stick with it.

I agree, moving house, especially with lots of emotion involved is so exhausting and I think the real tiredness doesn't kick in till a few days later when you think you should have recovered but feel like the winds been taken from beneath you. We've moved house 9 times in our marriage which isn't many more years than that and there's no way round the tiredness.

Well done Moose! Fabulous effort to stick at it. You will be so pleased when you start seeing the results.

Enjoy the show. I'm not sure id be up to a show with

One let alone two dogs, so enjoy it!

Had to come and report back.

We went to the VW show today and Pip was an absolute superstar.

As usual it was swarming with dogs, all on lead. He said hello to those he wanted to and just watched the others from a distance, but he was calm and relaxed, walked around and sat on the picnic rug etc with us for a total of four hours. (This included a picnic lunch at the camper where both dogs were in their travel crate in the shade watching all sorts of dogs and people walking past, as well as intermittent rest stops and when it was only a very slow pootle.)

By the end, he was calmly walking past dogs of all shapes and sizes - everything from Chihuahaus to Dogue De Bordeaux, a Leonberger, a few Doberman, several Greyhounds, some Lurchers, a million and one Cockerpoos, loads of beautiful Border Collies, Cockers and Springers and plenty of Staffies and their crosses. He was also automatically looking at me for a praise and a treat when he looked at another dog, so that was another breakthrough.

All in all a fantastic day. Both dogs are totally exhausted and stretched out across the living room snoring away. I could also do with stretching out and snoring now - it's been a very long day.

Sounds brilliant Moose. All your hard work paid off. You'll all need a day to recover tomorrow!

We all watched 'Digby the biggest dog in the world' tonight and minty went barky and excited everytime Digby came on screen. What a funny film and so bizarre watching a film from the 70s/80s - old style phones, exaggerated posh English accent for the army officer and real bumbling character as the pet psychologist!

I certainly do need today to recover. I'm still exhausted and I've done pretty much nothing all day. Pip is also still exhausted. He's been out in the garden with dh while he mowed the lawn, had a bit of charge about with a plastic milk carton and is now in the deepest sleep, stretched out across the living room floor. We've not been for a walk yet either.

I love that film. I wanted and OES for the longest time as a child as a result of watching it!

Well done pip -sounds fun but exhausting

Dd entered Fitz into a fun dog show today and he got a rosette for coming third on the handsomest dog class

Unfortunately he then blotted his copybook by doing a huge poo in the middle of the ring while dd was going for junior handler