My Workout Partner

I know it sounds harsh, but I have never been fond of workout partners. While I love a good Zumba or Kickboxing class and have played my share of softball back in the day, weight-workouts have just never felt like a team sport to me.


I'd rather get in and get out. I don't want to worry about my workout partner having a cuter outfit than me, or judging me on how scary I look with my hair shoved under my baseball hat, or how weak I am. I don't want to hear about her boss or her boyfriend. I don't want competition or conversation. I prefer: No muss. No fuss. No drama.


Having said that, I could not have survived lately without my current workout partner. She has been by my side every morning for the last 9 days as I face the beast that is Jillian Michaels. She has not only made it bearable. It's almost been...dare I say it? Fun.



Meet my workout partner Coco, a 6 year old mutt: part Australian Shepard /part Circus Dog. She's agile, smart and does tricks for treats. Coco can execute a vertical 4 foot jump without a running start. I kid you not. She is 15 lb canine helicopter.

As I sit on the bed tying my sneakers, bleary eyed and barely conscious, she watches and waits. I stand and Coco herds me into the living room. I pop Jillian's '30 Day Dread' into the DVD player and she tears around the living room in search of her pink ball. 


As soon as I open my exercise mat onto the floor,Coco is stretched out on top of it. The pink ball is in her mouth and she's ready to roll.


I'm warming up and and so is she. While I'm 'jumping jacks' and 'kicking my butt', Coco is prancing around me in circles, squeaking her ball with her teeth.

And when I begin my first set of push-ups, it's on. I'm at her eye level now and she's teasing me with the ball, bringing it within grabbing distance and dashing away. 


We both know it's only a dance because Mama don't play that. Coco knows that I will not chase after her and wrestle the ball out of her mouth. If she wants to play fetch she must drop it. And it has to be close. 


She waits till I'm prone doing 'abs' and just to be sure, she drops it onto my stomach. I crunch, throw the ball into the kitchen and Coco slides across the tile and under the table, crashing into the chairs. Undaunted and unscathed, she retrieves the ball and we go again. And again and again. For her, it's all about the reps.

The only drawback to having a four-legged workout partner is the need for an occasional hiatus to the yard. But within less than a minute, I've hit the pause button, snapped on her leash, we've jogged out the door and Coco has taken care of business. She's a good girl and she knows that dawdling during workout sessions won't fly. 


With a renewed vitality Coco bounds back into the living room,sinks her teeth into the pink ball and shakes it until it squeaks for mercy. 


By the cool down, I'm on my own. It's my turn to stretch out on the mat and Coco is curled up on the couch, pink ball out of sight and out of mind. Till next time.



If you're looking for a workout partner, I highly recommend the four-legged kind. No muss. No fuss. No drama.