The Bean Chronicles

Doin’ it Bloggy Style

January, 2008

With the excess of the holidays behind me and the Doggy Du’s just around the corner, it’s time to get back in gear. My friends at the Animal Medical Center of New York have tailored a specialized workout plan just for me. This month, we’re focusing on improving my flexibility and agility.

First things first, it’s always good to get a periodic checkout to make sure you’re healthy enough for extensive exercise. For me this is mostly a formality, but I still love the attention and all those invigorating electrodes. Turns out I’ve got a resting heart rate in the Lance Armstrong range. Scared yet?

With the weather starting to get a bit nasty out there, it’s always nice to have some exercises you can do inside the home—right by the fireplace even. Check out this one that the docs at the AMC showed me. It helps me improve my lateral movement and become more aware of all four of my limbs to make sure they’re all working together as one. Make sure you note that it’s the trainer, not me, who knocked the hurdles over.

Is that Bean, or Michael Jordan?

If you don’t have a space big enough in your house or apartment (especially for those of you in New York) you can always get on your own training program at the AMC. Be aware, however, that I’ve set the bar pretty high—it’s going to take a lot to impress the vets at this point.

December, 2007

Well it’s that time of year again, when we all start indulging just a bit too much. Who among us can resist that second turkey bone on Thanksgiving—certainly not this girl.

But with the Iams Doggy Duathlon World Championship less than eight months away, there’s no time for dilly-dally. So, to counteract my epicurean weaknesses, I’ve started an additional training program with my friends at the Animal Medical Center of New York. Allow me to share.

I get my share of park running but New York City is lacking for those mountainous ups and downs necessary for the full-body workout. The incline treadmill lets me exercise new muscle groups and lengthens my stride so I’ll be able to compete with those labs and viszlas in July. Also, the vets at AMC tell me I’ve got grade-one luxating patellas—nothing major, but focusing my workouts on my hind legs will help ease the problem.

Brisk walk? Could I BE any more bored? Crank that baby up to maximum speed!

Even more fun than the incline treadmill was taking my workout underwater. The hydrotherapy treadmill is a great way to stay in shape, increase your range of motion, while limiting the impact on your joints. As you can see from the video on the left, I’m pretty dominant in water. But, for those of you who need some help getting used to aquatics before the big swim, you might want to take a quick jog in one of these bad boys.

Bring on the Hudson!

That’s all for now, but check back regularly. I’ll have frequent updates on my intense workout regimen and may even mix in some holiday shopping tips as well. If you’ve got anything you want to share, shoot me an email, you might even get into my blog!

Until next time … Bean, out!