Working Too Much

Posted by: Audrey Post date: March 10th, 2010

I’ve gone from working 6 hours a fortnight at the vet clinic, to 14 hours a week. I still have to fit everything else in around that, so some things are falling by the wayside. One of them is housework. Some may say what else is new? That would be rude. Honest, but rude, LOL.

I’m still managing to fit in a run though, and am getting a bit stronger each time. I’m two weeks away from the Twilight half marathon, but I’m going to drop to the 10km instead. There’s no way I can finish a half at the moment. But, I’ll get there.

Going back to talking about work, I’m always amazed at how many people spend money at the vet’s on things that are totally preventable. A puppy died of hookworm last weekend. He should have been wormed. That sort of thing is just not on. So, here are my top five tips for keeping your animal healthy and saving money in vet expenses.

1. Pet-proof your home. When you have young children, you protect them by keeping them from getting into things that are dangerous to them. The same goes with your pets. Keep medicines out of reach, prevent them getting access to electrical cords and make sure they can’t get into the rubbish bin. Cooked chop bones or peach seeds are not good for dogs! They get stuck in the intestines, and your dog will need $3000 worth of surgery to remove them.

2. Regular vet checkups are important. Now that pets only need to be vaccinated every three years, you still need to have your pet examined every year. A year is a long time in a pet’s life. In that time they may develop severe dental disease, or heart disease, which are best treated early before they make your dog very sick. Your vet can also advise on preventative care, such as intestinal worming with Drontal (which kills hookworms!!!)  or flea control with Frontline Plus.

3. Feed your pet properly. This not only means feed the right type of food for your pet, but feed an appropriate amount. The number of obese animals is increasing, and it causes many preventable health problems. I saw a 9kg cat last night, it looked like a footstool! Won’t be able to walk in a year.

4. Exercise your pet. This is easier with dogs than cats. You can take your dog a walk, or play ball with him in the backyard. Or, you can take him running!! Good for both of you. Cats can be trickier, however they often like to chase a laser, and that can keep them moving.

5. Desex them. No unwanted babies, no infected uterus and no male dogs wandering to chase a girl, and getting into fights or bumped by a car in the process.

Anything you feel you’d like to add? It’s not rocket science, it’s just basic common sense.

There! Vent over. Back to your regularly scheduled program.

Fish Oil, Anyone?

Posted by: Audrey Post date: January 31st, 2010

I’ve not been blogging, or reading blogs, for a while now, because I’ve been keeping up to date with most of my friends on Facebook. What a time drain! It’s nice hearing what everyone is doing, but I’m not sure I need hourly updates. Having said that, I do love playing on Farmtown just before I go to bed; it turns my mind off and I sleep better.

I ended up getting my mum a pedometer for Christmas, and a nice water bottle with a handle. I don’t know if she’s used it yet.

I went for a run this morning, along the foreshore at Redcliffe. I took the big black dog, who promptly peed on every tree. Nothing changed there. I’ve got very little endurance, but I’m finding that I can run up hills easier. I’ve entered the Twilight Half Marathon on 21st March, and I’m on target for a 3 hour finish. Bummer, cos the cut-off is 2.30. Bit of work to do. It’s hard, I’ve lost interest in running, and the one race I was so keen to do (trail run where I have permission to take Guinness) is on the same day as Miss 10’s QLD and Australian Highland Dancing championships. That’s a one in 10 year opportunity for her, so we’re going there instead.

Life is not far off chaos! I’m working extra shifts at work, schoolwork has started for the children again, and I’ve got several writing gigs for clients on the go. I’m tired, short fused, and often feeling a bit flat.  It won’t last forever, but it’s pretty stressful at the moment.

One of my friends suggested fish oil capsules. Funnily enough, they were talking about fish oil on the radio this morning, and how it’s supposed to be good in preparing your body for pregnancy. Not going there! I’ve been Googling fish oil and it sounds like it does you a lot of good.

It’s apparently good for regulating mood swings, and for making you feel less down. Supposed to also help your brain focus better. That’s what I need, my mind wanders constantly. Takes me two hours to write a 500 word article on a topic I know well.

I’m thinking too it’s supposed to help with arthritis and joint health, as well as reduce inflammation. Not that there’s any problems with my joints at the moment, but maybe it’ll help prevent future stiffness as I get old(er).  I wonder if it will mean less soreness after a long run? Maybe I won’t creak when I get out of bed.

The only thing that worries me is the fishy belching that I’ve heard of. I don’t mind garlic repeating on me, but not sure about fish.

I met a lady at work last week who gives her dog fish oil every day, and its coat is stunning! Thick, glossy, and shiny. That could help Guinness too, especially if it protects his joints.

Anybody tried fish oil? Any positive effects you’ve noticed? I figure it won’t hurt to give it a shot, only problem is that the radio said that you get what you pay for with this product. The more expensive capsules are higher quality. Will have a look at what’s out there.

Kidlets haven’t been running much lately, and the Runaway Bay 5km series is starting soon. If they want to go, they’ll have to start running more.

Christmas Shopping Time!

Posted by: Audrey Post date: November 26th, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends, I hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Thanksgiving just serves to remind me that Christmas is just around the corner. I’ve always found it relatively straight forward to buy a gift for Hubby, because there are loads of little useful running bits and pieces Ican pick up. Since I’ve been running too, I’ve seen the same thing happen with my own family – my mum and sisters find it so easy now: a pair of running socks, a book or magazine on running, etc.

Soo, what do you give your running partner for Christmas this year? One item I’ve thought about occasionally is a heart rate monitor. I’ve dabbled with the idea of low heart rate training, I feel it sort of justifies me going slow, hehe. I can say to people, “just going slow to keep my heart rate below a certain level. I really could go faster, you know”, knowing full well I probably couldn’t! How to do you pick the best heart rate monitor though? I guess it comes down to two things, durability and budget. It’s gotta survive the sweat, and it’s gotta be affordable.

My mum is one of the hardest to buy for. Late 60’s, owns her home, and has a few interests, but she really doesn’t need anything. My sister got her an mp3 player so she could wear it walking, but she’s not very technically minded, and it doesn’t get much use. I’m tossing up a pedometer, so she can count her steps. She’s doing the Tony Ferguson diet, and she’s starting to walk more. She’s lucky enough to live not too far from the foreshore, and it’s a nice place to walk. I honestly have no idea what else she may like. I’ve started reading pedometer reviews, because if I get her one that’s too technical, it will spend the rest of its life next to the mp3 player.

Now, for me. I know my Hubby reads this, so I can leave a not so subtle hint. When I bought my new running shoes a month or two ago, I found that I needed a half size bigger than I’d been wearing. My trail shoes are still a size 9, and I’d probably feel a lot more comfortable in a size  9 1/2 now. I’ve got a pair of Asics, but there doesn’t seem to be quite the range when you’re looking for a trail running shoe. It seems to be less important whether you’re a pronator, or whether you need more cushioning when you’re buying a trail shoe.

So, that’s the outdoorsy people in my life just about sorted. Now all I have to worry about are the more sedentary folk, and that’s going to be hard.

I’d love to know what running goodies you fancy for Christmas – I can add them to my list of birthday ideas for next year.