Hey there! 😊
Let me start with something a little embarrassing: there are days when the only thing that gets me off the couch is a fluffy, dramatic creature staring me down until I move. Kinder, our big Alaskan Malamute, has this way of looking at me with his goofy face that somehow makes everything feel lighter, even on the heaviest days. Rough week? One look at him and I'm okay again. It's hard to explain, but if you have a pet, I know you get what I mean. 😝
Are pets actually good for our health?
Researchers have been curious about this for a while now. One thing that keeps showing up in studies is movement: dog owners tend to walk more, one study found they averaged around 22 extra minutes of walking and roughly 2,700 more daily steps per day compared to non-dog owners. That's not nothing. That's a real, consistent difference, and for most of us, it didn't feel like "exercise." It felt like just going out with our dogs. 🐕🦺
There's also something to be said about stress. Several reviews have found that human-animal interactions may positively influence stress biomarkers—think cortisol levels, blood pressure, heart rate. Again, not dramatic proof, but it’s always the little things that compound into something bigger, right?
Are all studies on pet ownership health positive?
Well… no. Not every study finds big health wins from pet ownership. One large population study found no clear link between having a pet and several aging biomarkers. Despite the finding, that actually tells us something useful: the benefits may not come from some magical biological effect pets have on our bodies. ✨
They may come from the small daily habits pets make almost unavoidable—movement, routine, companionship, stress relief, emotional connection. It's less about the pet, and more about what a pet quietly nudges us to do every single day. Consistency. 🔑
And honestly? That hits differently here in the Philippines, where more of us are choosing to build our lives around our pets—especially as more people delay or reimagine traditional milestones.
Can pets actually improve your health and wellbeing?
Of course, anyone who shares life with a pet knows they don't just get us moving—they also keep us veeeery busy. There are walks to take, food bags to carry, toys to pick up, baths to give, and approximately 47 daily requests for attention that somehow cannot wait another minute. 😆
All that extra movement is part of the joy of having pets. But let's be honest: our bodies feel it too. Our knees feel it. Our backs feel it. Especially when your 60kg dog sleeps in bed with you, hogs the entire thing, and leaves you with a tiny sliver of mattress where you contort yourself into positions no human spine was designed for. This is, of course, completely hypothetical. Theoretical, even. Definitely not something that happens to me every single night. 🙅🏻
✨Anyway.✨
If that were somehow my reality, I'd be reaching for Oleia Pure Oil, for my knees, my back, and whatever my neck has been doing lately. It's become part of our daily rhythm at home. What started as relief for my own aches quietly became a shared ritual, because Kinder has hip dysplasia, and his vet-managed care includes gentle massage. Oleia Pure Oil has also become part of his home routine. So here we are: two beings in the same household, same bottle, same oil, same love for the routine. There's something deeply wholesome about that to me. Wellness that extends beyond ourselves, into the lives of the ones we care for most. (Oh, and if you're thinking of trying this with your own pet, check with your vet first and do a patch test. Every animal is different! ⚠️)
So if you've been wondering whether getting that dog or cat is "worth it"…maybe the better question is: what small, consistent habits would having them bring into your life? Because those habits? That's where the real health story lives. 🐾
Show me your bottle and I'll show you mine? 'Til next time! 💟
xo, L.
References:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-017-4422-5
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.12.10.23299796v1.full
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3408111/
