VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 11 | October 2018 
Increase Your Dog's Health & Longevity!

Greetings!

Everyone wants to live longer, right? With the Baby Boomer generation entering their 60’s and 70’s, there has been abundant new research on how to increase longevity. It is impossible to ignore the evidence:  exercise and longevity go hand-in-hand .

Here are the studies:
  • Long-term exercise promotes the continued innervation of muscle fibers, which delays aging (1). 
  • Individuals who led active lives had muscle characteristics that were more similar to adults 30 years younger than to their more sedentary peers (2). 
  • Life-long maintenance of lean body mass in Labrador Retrievers was a key factor in achieving a long lifespan (3).
  • Regular exercise slows and even reverses the development of the muscle atrophy that occurs with aging (4 - 6).
  • Regular exercise increases the replication of neurons in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is responsible for memory and learning (7 - 9).

Several years ago, Drs. Chris Zink and Gayle Watkins decided to combine their 85+ years of dog knowledge to develop an  easy-to-use, science-based, all-encompassing fitness program for dogs of every age and stage of life , from 3 weeks of age, through adolescence, adulthood, and into our dogs’ senior and geriatric years. They also focused part of the program on stud dogs and breeding bitches since parental fitness has beneficial, long-term effects on offspring. We are delighted to announce that this unique program is here! It is appropriately called  Fit For Life ™ .

Fit For Life™ is different from other canine fitness programs. It starts by guiding you through a questionnaire and simple assessment of your dog’s front leg, core and rear leg strength. The results are entered into our software and your dog is provided with an exercise program that combines flexibility, balance, proprioception (body awareness), strength and good-for-the-soul exercises that are targeted to your dog’s individual needs and stage of life.

We're here to answer your questions! Join us for a LIVE webinar on
October 10 th at 11:00 ET, where we will personally answer your questions.

Register here for the LIVE webinar!
You can use  Fit for Life™ to provide a  tailored fitness program for all of your dogs , no matter how many you have. Canine fitness programs are NOT one size fits all! So you can include your up-and-coming puppy, your adults, and even your aging dogs and trust that the programs will take into account their individual needs .

But we didn’t stop there . We firmly believe that everyone needs personal support as they work their dogs, so the program includes  LIVE monthly calls where you can get your personal questions answered by Chris and Gayle, and a  private Facebook group where members can support each other and benefit from group knowledge. Each month new  information will be provided exclusively to  Fit For Life™ members .

If you are a breeder or own a stud dog,  Fit to Be Tie d ™,  the breeding stock version of Fit for Life ™, also includes the Fit for Life™  program tailored to where your dog is in the breeding cycle and offers information about nutrition and veterinary care for breeding dogs.

Here are some quotes from our beta testers:
"... one of the things that sets this program apart from other on-line dog related courses, is the personal touch and oversight that Chris and Gayle add. Yes,  Fit for Life™ is unique in its content and quality but the hands on by such knowledgeable professionals is what makes this program special." --- Andrea M.

"… I love the progress I can see my dogs making every month...and they sure LOVE their exercises - even the hard ones." --- Melanie H.

"[ Fit for Life™ has] improved my understanding of my dog's strengths and weaknesses … so that I can spot subtle imbalances and weaknesses sooner." --- Jen S.
References  (Full articles available  here  )  :
 1. Mosole S, Carraro U, Kern H, Loefler S, Fruhmann H, Vogelauer M, Burggraf S, Mayr W, Krenn M, Paternostro-Sluga T, aram D, Cvecka J, Sedliak M, Tirpakova V, Sarabon N, Musaro A, Sandri M, Protasi F, Nori A, Pold A, Zampieri S. Long-term high-level exercise promotes muscle reinnervation with age. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2014;73(4):284-94
2. Zampieri S, Pietrangelo L, Loefler S, Fruhmann H, Vogelauer M, Burggraf S, Pond A, Grim-Stieger M, Cvecka J, Sedliak M, Tirpakova V, Mayr W, Sarabon N, Rossini K, Barberi L, De Rossi M, Romanello V, Boncompagni S, Musaro A, Sandri M, Protasi F, Carraro U, Kern H. Lifelong physical exercise delays age-associated skeletal muscle decline. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2015;70(2):163-73
3. Adams VJ, Watson P, Carhichael S, Gerry S, Penell J, Morgan DM. Exceptional longevity and potential determinants of successful ageing in a cohort of 39 Labrador retrievers: results of a prospective longitudinal study. Acta Vet Scand 2016;58(1):29
4. Bowen TS, Schuler G, Adams V, Skeletal muscle wasting in cachexia and sarcopenia: molecular pathophysiology and impact of exercise training. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2015;6(3):197-207. 
5. Montero-Fernandez N, Serra-Rexach JA. Role of exercise on sarcopenia in the elderly. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2013;49(1):131-43
6. Sembron-tacny A, Dziubek W, Rogowski T, Skorupka E, Dabrowska G. Sarcopenia: monitoring, molecular mechanisms, and physical intervention. Physiol Res 2014;63(6):683-91
7. van Praag H. Neurogenesis and exercise: past and future directions. Neuromolecular Med. 2008;10(2):128-40. 
8.  van Praag H, Christie BR, Sejnowski TJ, Gage FH. Running enhances neurogenesis, learning, and long-term potentiation in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Nov 9;96(23):13427-31.
9. Ahiskot JE, Geda YE, Graff-Radford NR, Petersen RC. Physical exercise as a preventive or disease-modifying treatment of dementia and brain aging. Mayo Clinic Proc 2011;86(9);876-84