Friday, July 10, 2015

PetsRFit2: Getting Fit with Fido!

Sherry and her pup Marley enjoy a good run!
I recently had the chance to sit down with Dan and Sherry Popovic to chat about cMEcompete, an online community they founded that encourages active, healthy lifestyles by participating in running and walking communities.

Participants can track their achievements, engage in personal or team challenges and be rewarded for their health accomplishments. While many of the communities focus on activities and running events for people, a new community was recently added to track the fitness accomplishments of dogs and dog owners.  Today Sherry shares more about the inspiration behind the new PetsRFit2 community on cMEcompete.


Guest post by Sherry Popovic
Dogs are known as mans best friend for many reasons. Theyre loyal, theyre predictable, theyre affectionate, and they are great companions. So it goes without saying that theyre also great exercise partners as well. Walk down most city streets or developed trails and you will probably see someone walking their dog or taking them out for a potty break. You will also see a few runners with their dogs. Walking or running or just getting outdoors to move with pets accomplishes a few things.



Running events can help both dogs and their people get fit and healthy

First, it gets their human counterparts up and moving. Sedentary living is killing our society and producing obesity in children at an alarming rate. However, for those of us who have dogs and especially without an enclosed yard, we pretty much have to get up and go outside. Standing, walking, and moving in general, burn more calories than sitting. Combine these activities with a pet that is relying on their owner to take care of their basic needs helps this population be more active in general than those without pets.

However, obesity in animals can also occur if the owners don’t do much more than take them outside for bathroom breaks or have an enclosed yard where the dog can get its own exercise with stimulation. Obesity in dogs, as well as cats, has become another concern recently. Organizations such as K9 Fit Club are combating obesity in dogs by producing environments where pet and fitness trainers host classes where both dogs and owners participate together.

Dogs and people get moving at a K9 Fit Club class
Technology is also playing a role in combining pets and fitness with their owners.
In an effort to promote community engagement among dog owners and track fitness accomplishments, cMEcompete has launched a new community aimed at this demographic. PetsRFit2 is an online community where members can create a user profile for their pet and track their daily activities as well as any race events they might participate in together such as a dog-friendly neighborhood 5K. Points are then accumulated and used to redeem fitness and pet-friendly rewards.

Join the PetsRFit2 Community today and begin a healthy, active lifestyle with your pet! For more information, contact info@cmecompete.com.

Happy Tails!


What motivates you to get out and get going with your pet?
Let us know in the comments below!



The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With LoveSlimDoggy and My GBGV Life to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.


23 comments:

  1. We all love working out together. Mom would not workout much if she had to do it alone, but with us all together, it is so much more fun.

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  2. This is very nice post! It is very helpful for the pet-owners.
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  3. Sounds like a great initiative! Anything that gets pets and their people moving.

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  4. I love the idea of a workout class with our dogs. Since it's focused on exercise and not socialization, Sydney would love it (she's shy around dogs).

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    1. That's a great insight... It's funny that lots of people sign up for dog class and then desperately want their dogs to socialize rather than working with them. Agility, K9 Fit Club and other dog sports are more focused on the human - dog team. And THAT is what helps you build that bond... as well as a great waistline for both team members!

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  5. Working out with dogs is so fun and funny. It really helps distract from being tired or sore.

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    1. That's for sure! I'm sure I wouldn't even get out and walk if it weren't for Rocco.

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  6. Getting fit with your pooch is perfection!

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  7. Getting active in a group would be a good idea for us, but usually every one wants to run and we don't. Thanks for sharing! Love Dolly

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    1. I've seen dog groups out there that walk or hike too. I'm hoping to see a range of activities in this community.

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  8. Great post! I love hanging out with my dog and getting exercise.

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  9. Cool concept. We belong to a dog hiking group.

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  10. Dogs are great motivators to get us up and moving. The nline community sounds great.

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  11. A great and inspiring post - I'm 'lub'in' all of da great ideas to be active with your pup and I'm showing them all to momma! Thank you!

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  12. Wonderful post about such an important topic!! Our days always begin with a walk, and we also incorporate lots of playtime and training into our pups' daily lives. As a result, they are physically & mentally balanced and sport nicely visible waistlines :-)

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