(Wo)man's best friend

Today my precious Bruin turns three. He is a golden retriever and quite frankly one of the best friends I could ever have. In only three years my heart has swelled with unconditional love, and I can't imagine those years without him. Anyone who has owned a dog knows the term "pet" starts to melt away. In it's place, "pet" turns to "family". They become an extended family member complete with their own personality traits to bring to the table. Not only can dogs lower your stress and increase your happiness, but they also help you from getting sick less. Living in a home with a dirty dog increases your resistance to germs and bacteria. Growing up in a house with a dog also decreases your chances of developing allergies to dog hair and dander as an adult. In my opinion, a house doesn't truly feel like a home until it's complete with a pup. Health reasons or not!

Bruin is always up for an adventure. I started bringing Bruin on walks and hikes with me when he was still very young. I wanted to ultimately be able to bring him with me on outdoor excursions without the fear of him running away. I started him out on a leash all the time we were walking. Slowly, I started taking him off of it for small increments of time. During these first leash free moments, however, I kept him occupied. I would let him swim, eat, etc. After I did this several times, I would increase the amounts of leash free time whether he was preoccupied or not. I made sure to stay close to him. If he started to wander a little too far I would call him back. When calling was not enough to trigger his attention, I made sure to have plenty of treats to tempt him back. Over time, I found the name calling was happening less. Bruin had successfully learned his boundaries. Now we are both happily satisfied. I am not a fan of leashes (I should say the constant untangling of leashes) and Bruin is not either for the obvious restrictions. When we are in the woods now, Bruin will trot ahead, stop, look to me, wait, and then trot again. He is free, and together we are full of trust for one another. To love a dog, is one of the most rewarding feelings.

Fuel your body

As many of us know, if we want to preform our best outdoors, we need to fuel ourselves for it. Picking the right foods for our bodies these days seems a daunting task. One minute something is deemed healthy, the next it's not. I used to be a yogurt or cereal fan in the morning. I found, however, it was not substantial enough. I would be hungry shortly after or my blood sugar would drop. After much trial and error, I have come to my "perfect" breakfast that gets me going without feeling neither too full or too empty:

Maple Chia Oatmeal

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/4 cup steel cut oats

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

slivered almonds

1/2 an apple

• Bring the water and the almond milk to a boil
• Stir in the oats and reduce heat to a simmer for 3 minutes
• Add the chia seeds
• Stir occasionally for another 4 minutes
• Mix in maple syrup and cinnamon
• Add slivered almonds to taste
• Plate oatmeal and top with 1/2 a diced or slivered apple
• Enjoy!

The fun thing with oatmeal is it can be tweaked to any individual's taste. If you like more cinnamon, you can add it! If you like the chia seeds softer, you can soak them. I like the texture of the chia and almonds. If you prefer honey over maple syrup then go for it. It's your morning. It's your breakfast. It's your time to make it into something you enjoy (or even crave!). I never liked oatmeal, but that was because I never played around until I found the right combo for myself. Now I urge you to do the same and reap all the great health benefits! A bowl of this steal cut oatmeal is reach in dietary fiber and omega-3s plus endless other nutrients and benefits, but going into that I would have to right a whole book. Embrace super foods people! They are only scary until you find a way you like the eat them. Experiment ya'll!