The Water Bowl is paws down the best monthly newsletter for pet professionals. We provide editorial on current events in the dog walking and pet sitting world, review gear and gather interesting information from around the web.
TLDR;
- Self-care for small business owners
- Dogs are good for your heart
- An All-American Dog
- Declassify your dogs
- Ready for my--woof!--close up
Do You Self-Care for Small Business Owners
Caregivers often corner the market on self-care, with most content being pushed to help busy moms and family caregivers. But as a small business owner, self-care is a vital component. There’s a lot to manage, and you often wear many different hats, which can cause you to spread yourself too thin, or experience burn out.
In order to give yourself what you need to stay fully charged without taking too much of your time away from the business (gasp!), here are some small ways to practice self-care:
- Stop looking at your phone the minute you wake up. You don’t have to start waking up at 4 am to exercise every morning in order to start building more “me time” into your day. Make small changes, like waiting for a full 20-minutes to wake up and be still before checking your phone, to feel calmer before diving into the chaos of your day. You can use this quiet time to create more space for new thoughts.
- Also, stop looking at your phone before bed. Sleep is definitely one thing that most small business owners are lacking. In addition to not letting your mind rest as your body is trying to wind down, The Cleveland Clinic says that the blue light from the phone can also suppress melatonin, which can lead to insomnia, exhaustion, and general irritability. Consider keeping your phone in another room at night and purchasing an old school alarm clock if you’re worried about waking up on time in the morning.
- Make time to exercise. Movement is essential to any self-care routine, especially if you sit at the computer for long periods throughout the day. Exercise releases endorphins, which have been proven to reduce stress, provide you with more quality sleep, improve your metabolism and lower blood pressure. Although walking dogs can, technically, count as exercise, try something a little more rigorous that will really get your heart rate up and that blood (and endorphins) pumping.
- Say “no” more often. Running a small business typically means you’re in a daily balancing act--trying to manage all the tasks of the business that fall on you and attempting to have some sort of personal life. But in order to achieve this balance, you have to learn to say “no” more often. Whether that means not taking on new projects for the business or turning down friends and family when you’re feeling burnt out, learning to say “no,” might feel disappointing at times, but it will help you say “yes” to your own well-being.
Healthy Living. Dogs, Dogs, They're Good For Your Heart
If you are a dog lover, you probably feel as though your furry friends open up your heart for more love. Now research shows that dog ownership is, quite literally, good for your heart.
Two different studies were published recently in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes that found dog ownership to be linked to a 21% reduction in mortality rate for those with heart disease.
In response to those studies, Dr. Dhruv S. Kazi wrote an editorial praising the findings and concluding that “given the magnitude of the potential benefit—and likely little or no harm—these findings should encourage clinicians to discuss pet adoption with their patients, particularly those with preexisting cardiovascular disease and those living by themselves.”
Although it’s unknown why exactly dogs are capable of having this effect on humans, the editorial written by Dr. Kazi highlights the fact that dog owners are more likely to be physically active, spend increased time outdoors, and have better methods of stress reduction (dog snuggles, anyone?) than those without furry friends--all of which have a positive impact on cardiovascular health.
Regardless of the reason why, we’re happy to have an extra excuse to love our dogs!
Blurbs. Curated Content from the Interwebs
- One brave dog. There was a lot of talk about the dog that was wounded in combat during the raid of ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, and we finally know her name. The Belgian Malinois who was part of the U.S. Special Forces team responsible for the operation is named Conan. And don’t worry, she’s on the road to recovery (and maybe a Dog Purple Heart?)
- Declassified dogs go viral. Well, the internet has done it again. In response to an initial announcement that Conan’s name was classified, the internet went wild with declassifying their own doggie pics.
- These dogs are very photogenic. The Kennel Club runs an annual Dog Photographer of the Year contest. Here are the winning photos (and dogs) for 2019.
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