Cats and Crossfit

So I have recently been on a big campaign to exercise more and eat better. I am now doing Pilates with the Barre along with my beloved tennis every week and I am weight lifting. I am trying to stay away from those pesky carbs and sugars and keep myself hydrated. I don’t know what turned the switch but I seem to be more motived this time around than some of my past efforts to have a healthy and balanced life style.

Cats and Crossfit

In thinking back to periods where I really felt strong and fit was when I was in the trenches working hands on at the shelter. Believe it or not, if you are tight on time and live near a shelter, volunteering is the best way to get a good work out!

Our first adoption center was on the second floor of a building. Can you imagine bringing 40 lb bags of cat litter and food upstairs? Well, we did it! We also carried everything else you can imagine. I would also do bicep curls while carrying cat food in each hand. Our bodies twisted and turned to carry carriers, cages and linens. While we cleaned we would mop and sweep. We again would bend, twist and turn. After three hours of hard work, you would know you had a good workout. The muscles felt good!

Now at the end of your shift, you can take the time help your spirit or “inner peace”. Take some time for cat therapy. Cats will give you love and attention in their own way. This will help you relax from the stress of the outside world. This is better than any protein powder can provide!

Photo Credit: CrossfitMagnus.com

Shelters can be very stressful environments. We can feel overwhelmed, experience compassion fatigue and have a lot of distractions. But if we can believe that we can be in control of the environment and appreciate it, we can make shelter work as a staff member or volunteer an incredibly positive experience.

More Ideas…

One other thing that we can do (and this is going to be extremely controversial) is make our shelters “sugar free” zones. Our workplace is filled with donations of cookies, brownies, donuts, and candy. This is a recipe for disaster. Sugar is more addictive than cocaine! While we work and volunteer, we need to be at our best and that doesn’t involve easy access to these foods. That includes the food that is available.

Think of it this way….  if you got a bag of expired food or better yet a bag filled with old dry food with meal worms in it (this happens a lot), would you feed it to cats? NO! Those sugary foods are like feeding yourself that nasty food. So take care of yourself first. Make sure everyone eats well during the day at the shelter and you will have a much happier workplace. If you want to bring food into your shelter make it healthy options, water, apples, fruit (clementines are coming into season), veggies. Your staff and other volunteers will thank you!

Skip the gym and volunteer at a shelter. It is a win-win combination.

Have a great week.

Announcements:

For our Thanksgiving show I would like to do something fun and a bit different. I would like to record a “call in” show with you, the listeners. I would like to find out what you are most thankful for looking back over the year. I will be recording the show on Saturday, September 30 at 11am EST. Please call in at this number and I will be recording your comments on what you are thankful for this year.

To tune in please call 515-739-1031  and the passcode is 186042#. I hope to meet you there!

Any questions feel free to email me at stacy@communitycatspodcast.com. Thank you for listening in to your show!