When Your Job Is Already a Workout

The Reality of a Busy Pet Sitter’s Life.

It was lunchtime yesterday.

The kind of lunchtime when the heat is intense, the pavement is radiating heat back at you and every sensible person is looking for shade.

I was outside because I had to be.

I was working.

And then I saw her.

Running.

In the middle of the day.

In the heat.

Completely by choice.

I looked at her and thought:

Oh my God. You actually want to be doing this?

Meanwhile, I’m outside because a dog needs to be walked, desperately looking for the shadiest route possible and wondering when I can get home to cool down.

And that’s when I realised.

I don’t need to go for a run.

My job is already a workout.

The Pet Sitter’s Version of Exercise

When people think about pet sitting, they might imagine something quite relaxing.

You go to someone’s house.

You see a cute dog.

You give them some cuddles.

You take them for a little walk.

You go home.

Lovely.

And yes, there are plenty of wonderful moments.

But when you have a busy schedule packed with appointments, the reality can be rather different.

There’s the driving between appointments.

Getting in and out of the car.

Walking.

Standing.

Bending down.

Picking things up.

Carrying things.

Opening gates.

Closing gates.

Putting leads on.

Taking leads off.

Walking again.

And then walking some more.

And let’s not forget the occasional dog who decides that today would be an excellent day to investigate something approximately 400 metres away at full speed.

Suddenly, you’re doing resistance training.

And Then There Are The Miles

One appointment might be a dog walk.

Another might involve checking on a cat, refreshing the food and water, cleaning a litter box and spending some time playing.

Then there’s another dog walk.

Then another visit.

And because the appointments are spread throughout the day, you’re constantly moving from one place to another.

It’s not like a workout where you finish, have a shower and think:

‘That’s my exercise done for today.’

The exercise just keeps going.

The difference is that nobody hands you a towel at the end.

My Old Workout Routine

There was a time when I could fit regular workouts into my week.

I actually enjoyed challenging myself.

I’d have my Move with Nicole Pilates playlist and spread several workouts throughout the week.

Some were around 50 minutes.

Some were 40 minutes.

Some were shorter.

But they were challenging.

And I liked that feeling of finishing a workout and knowing I’d done something good for myself.

These days?

Sometimes I look at a 40 minute workout and think:

Are you serious?

Because after a busy day of pet sitting, my body isn’t necessarily thinking:

‘Excellent. Shall we do some Pilates?’

It’s thinking:

‘Please sit down.’

The Strange Thing About Watching Other People Exercise

This is why I find it particularly funny when I see people out exercising during the day.

I’ll be coming home from an appointment and see someone running.

And then I’ll see them again later.

Still running.

You’re still doing that?

There have been mornings when I’ve looked out of my kitchen window and watched people heading out for their runs.

And I genuinely admire their motivation.

But at the same time, there’s a part of me thinking:

I don’t understand you.

You have apparently woken up and thought:

‘You know what would be fun? Making myself completely exhausted on purpose.’

Meanwhile, I’ve already been working and I’m thinking about whether I can make it through the rest of the day.

And then yesterday I saw the woman running at lunchtime.

Lunchtime.

In the heat.

I was outside because work required me to be outside.

She was outside because she had apparently decided that this was the perfect moment to go for a run.

I can’t help thinking:

‘We are experiencing this heat very differently.’

The Part People Don’t Necessarily See

I think that’s one of the less visible parts of being a pet sitter.

People see the appointment.

They don’t necessarily see everything around it.

They see you arrive and take the dog for a walk.

They don’t see the driving beforehand.

They don’t see the previous appointment.

They don’t see that you’ve already been walking for hours.

They don’t see the time spent on your feet.

They don’t see the heat.

They don’t see the traffic.

They don’t see the little gaps between appointments when you’re trying to grab something to eat, answer messages, organise your next visit or catch up on something at home.

And they definitely don’t see what happens when you finally walk through your own front door.

Because your working day might be finished…

but your day isn’t.

Then I Go Home

There are still things to do at home.

My own pets need feeding.

The litter boxes aren’t going to clean themselves.

There are household chores.

There are messages.

There are things I’m working on for the business.

There are other projects I want to get done.

And somewhere in there, I’m supposed to find time to exercise.

Sometimes I think the most appropriate workout for me would be to:

Lie down.

Repeat as necessary.

But I Wouldn’t Change The Job

And despite all of this, I actually love what I do.

There is something incredibly satisfying about being active throughout the day, being outside, seeing different places, spending time with animals and knowing that I’m doing something that matters to their owners.

It’s just that the physical side of the job can be easy to underestimate.

Pet sitting isn’t always sitting.

In fact, sometimes there’s surprisingly little sitting involved.

It’s walking, lifting, bending, driving, carrying, reaching, cleaning, moving, thinking, organising and constantly being alert.

And when you do that day after day, it adds up.

So the next time I see someone heading out for a lunchtime run in the middle of the heat, I’ll probably still look at them and think:

‘Why would you do that to yourself?’

But I’ll also admire the commitment.

Because apparently some people like to spend their free time getting exhausted.

As for me?

I’ve already got a job for that.

And when the working day is finally over, I’ll happily choose the less glamorous form of recovery:

A shower.

Something to eat.

My own pets.

And somewhere comfortable to sit.

Because when your job is already a workout, sometimes the best exercise is simply putting your feet up.