My Fitness Spirit Animal: The Sporty Seal
My super cute spirit animal. Credit: Jayson Emery, Flickr
In honor of our recent Fit Bottomed Pets Week, for this rather humorous Question of the Week, we’re answering the question: What’s your fitness spirit animal?
I love the idea of a spirit animal, and I had a couple of possibilities in mind long before this became an official Question of the Week.
I mean, my first thought was a dog, because, well, I love dogs, and it would be cool to have an animal I love so much as my spirit animal. But, while I might be as goofy as any Labrador you meet, I just don’t have that much energy.
I considered the penguin, and for a long time, that seemed just right. They love to swim, they’re not too fast on land, and they like to slide rather than walk, when possible. But then, I thought about the fact that they go for loooong periods of time without eating, and that? Is so not me. Not at all.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that, without a doubt, my fitness spirit animal had to be a seal. Hang tight while I explain.
Why My Fitness Spirit Animal Is the Seal
1. Seals are wicked fast in the water. I’m pretty comfortable in the water, myself, and like to think of myself as fairly speedy.
2. They’re a little more awkward on land. I may have mentioned in the past that running is not my strong suit, and if you’ve ever watched a seal waddle clumsily along the beach, well, you’ll get the connection.
3. They’re very trainable. One piece of feedback I’ve gotten from almost every coach I’ve had is that I’m super coachable. I might not be the best or the fastest or the strongest, but if you tell me what to do, I’ll try like hell to do it right. Especially with a little motivation.
4. Seals eat 6 to 8 percent of their body weight in fish every day. I might not eat quite that much fish, but, I mean, I do consume a fair amount of food each day. On a long bike or run day, I feel like I must come close to that percentage. Know what I mean? You know what I mean.
5. They look cute and playful, but probably? You shouldn’t mess with them. Yeah, it’s been said that I have a sweet smile and innocent eyes, and I try to live by the motto, “When in doubt, just be nice.” But that doesn’t mean I’m not a bad-ass when necessary. I will work as hard as anyone I know in order to be the best FBG I can be, and, well, I really wouldn’t recommend getting in my way in the process.
I can’t think of another animal that would be a better fit, can you? Have you come up with your spirit animal yet? —Kristen