Eating right can be a roller coaster experience....I know...happens to me all the time! And I know how I should eat. It's a real challenge. I struggle with it often. I know my eating habits are better than most, but I'm human, and I don't always make the right choice. It seems like there's always some kind of stress that prompts me to eat something I know I shouldn't. I'm sure you can relate. My hope is that I make the better choice more, so that when I don't make the best choice...it's not just detrimental.
That being said, when I studied human nutrition a couple of decades ago, I didn't realize how far reaching it would be in my future...where it would take me. Once I became knowledgeable on how our bodies function and what we need to do...I couldn't help but start practicing better habits. That lead to last year becoming a certified personal trainer....so now I've put the nutrition and the muscles together to get a more complete picture.
Just about four years ago when I fostered my third rescue dog, Mya...that was a turning point. I dubbed her my 'challenge dog'. She didn't eat for days after she came in. She was minimally socialized because up to about six months previous to me taking her in, she had been a breeder dog...used only to make puppies for profit. Her life had been very different...it certainly wasn't her fault. It was frustrating for me, however...I really didn't know what to do...but Mya 'taught' me! I soon learned to let her 'have her space'...not trying to 'make' her do something...I approached everything on her terms...and guess what? She responded in a positive manner.
In my zeal to get her to eat....I made a 'discovery'....she liked baked chicken! She ate it! I began looking for other food for her to eat....cottage cheese...she ate that too! And so the journey began for me into canine nutrition. I just really kind of stumbled into it! I began reading my past Whole Dog Journals....I started surfing the web on the topic...I started adding more and more foods to the doggie menu, and I got positive results...it just snowballed from there.
I believe once you start adding proper foods to your dog's diet, you'll realize the importance and you'll review your own eating habits...and what you'll find when you start making improvements is, you'll feel better. Get up....move around....take the dog for a walk....you'll feel better, really! Helping them will help you. Old bad habits will start to change, and you'll realize, you can do this too! It's all about gaining an understanding. Nutrition is a daily part of our lives, so we can't ignore it. We need to learn as much as we can, so we can make the right choices...not only for us for better health, but for our pets too!
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