Skip to Content

The Best Fitness Tips for Staying Healthy With Your Pet

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #PedigreeMoments #CollectiveBias

It’s hard to believe that we’re rapidly approaching the one year anniversary of Brooke’s adoption. It’s funny, because it seems like she’s grown up so fast, yet I can’t really imagine life without her anymore.

For those of you who don’t know, we rescued our favorite itty bitty pitty last spring when our golden doodle passed on after a rough battle with cancer. We didn’t really intend on getting another puppy, but our great dane, Rex, had never known life without a companion.

Bringing Brooke into our home was honestly the best thing we could have done, as she lightened all of our spirits and helped alleviate some of our grief.

It’s been so much fun to watch her grow over the past year and see her personality bloom (trust me, she has a LOT of it!).

One thing that I’ve been focused on when it comes to Brooke lately (aside from nixing some of her crazy puppy habits, haha) is staying healthy and active together. She was SO timid when we first adopted her, but she’s learning to love getting out of the house and going on adventures.

Ever since I went to college, I’ve been passionate about health and wellness, so this is an interest that I try to incorporate into all of my loved one’s lives…including my pet’s!

Here are a few of my best easy-to-implement fitness tips for staying active on the go with your canine companion too:

1. LIST OUT YOUR LOCATIONS

The first thing I’d recommend doing if you want to start getting active with your pet is making a list of dog-friendly locations in your area that you’d like to explore. Keep this list handy for when you’re looking for a new place to get some fresh air!

One of my favorite places to go with Brooke is the beach, and we also enjoy hiking some of the trails near our home too. Just do your research ahead of time and make sure you know the rules of each location!

2. CREATE A SCHEDULE

When are you and your pet going to get out? I’m all for a spontaneous adventure, but you’ll want to set a schedule ahead of time if you’re serious about establishing a workout routine. My favorite way to do this is to just pick a day of the week and stick with it whenever possible. It’s super easy, and it’ll give you something to constantly look forward to each week!

3. COME PREPARED

When I head for some outdoors time with Brooke, I’m always sure to pack snacks (shocking, I know) to keep us fueled throughout our workout. For myself, I’ll usually bring something lightweight like carrot sticks and cheese & crackers. Brooke likes fruit and veggies too, but for her I pack something extra special — PEDIGREE® POUCH 18ct Meaty Ground Dinner with Beef, Hearty Chicken/Beef, Bacon & Cheese.

I found these newly reformed on-the-go snacks at Walmart (where I do most of my shopping for my pets), and I’m obsessed with the convenience factor. They are single-serve, so they don’t take up much room in my backpack. I love that treating and eating on the go is a whole lot easier now!

And did I mention that PEDIGREE® POUCH 18ct Meaty Ground Dinner with Beef, Hearty Chicken/Beef, Bacon & Cheese can also be served as a “treat topping” by serving a helping of the PEDIGREE® POUCH 18ct Meaty Ground Dinner with Beef, Hearty Chicken/Beef, Bacon & Cheese food on top of a bowl of dry food? Or you can change up your dog’s feeding routine by switching between wet and dry food, like I do with Brooke. And if you’re wondering what Brooke eats, I’ve been feeding her the PEDIGREE® Dry Complete Nutrition Chicken.

4. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Finally, don’t forget to track your progress! I think a lot of people forget about this step, but it’s pretty cool to see all of the places that you and your pet have explored together and bookmark your favorites. It’s also great to see how your endurance improves over time, which can be super motivating!

Where’s your favorite place to go with your pet? Would you consider incorporating your dog into your workout routine? Let me know what you think in the comments!

P.S. Don’t forget to pick up your PEDIGREE® POUCH 18ct Meaty Ground Dinner with Beef, Hearty Chicken/Beef, Bacon & Cheese the next time you’re at Walmart!


Holly Habeck

Holly is a millennial travel and lifestyle writer based in New York. With ten years of experience in digital publishing and photography starting with her work writing for College Fashionista and Her Campus at Ithaca College, Holly has been featured in publications such as Southern Living and Lonely Planet. She enjoys sharing her travel expertise as well as lifestyle inspiration in categories such as home décor, DIY beauty, and fashion. More importantly though, Holly is a true Hufflepuff, and her Starbucks order forever remains a grande Iced Sweet Cream Cold Brew. When she's not writing or editing photos for this site, you can find her reading anything in the Sarah J. Maas universe or cuddling with her chihuahua x pomeranian pup Pixie.