Get a Dog

When I was a third year at UVA I decided to get a dog. Her name is Teddy Roosevelt the Golden Retriever. (Follow her on Instagram!) Admittedly, it’s odd for a college student to get a dog. I know that. I also know that getting her changed my life for the better.

When you adopt a dog you are legally responsible for their care and unequivocally liable for anything the dog does. This is a huge responsibility.

I was struggling with my mental health in the year leading up to Teddy’s adoption. A couple sad things happened to me in college that I suppressed rather than came to terms with. It was problematic because I got worse and worse. I was sleeping too much, eating too little, and digging myself into an ever-expanding depressive hole. The worst part is that I covered it up more than I should have. I should have asked for help sooner. Alas, I didn’t… Worsening the problem. As the days went on, it became harder to figure out how to get my life back—I was very scared.

I bought a book during my lowest point called “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. I attribute this book for sparking my fire to get out of the rut I was in. Simply put, the book is about small (atomic) actions (habits) that add up to huge changes. In the book, he convinces you that you don’t need some huge sweeping lifestyle reformation to move towards positive change. A particular section discusses one-time habits that Clear guarantees will lead to a person living a better life one year from taking the action. One of these one-time actions is “get a dog.”

I was sad and felt alone for far too long, so one day I ripped off the bandaid, went on to puppies.com, and found what I thought was the most adorable golden retriever ever. Surprise… it was NOT Teddy! I drove to Powatan, VA from Charlottesville to pick up a dog that was at the time named “Black.” My best friend Tyler and I played with puppies for an afternoon and talked to the breeder about taking Black home. Right before I paid for Black, a certain pup by the name of “Lavender” was plopped right in front of me and started staring with the warmest, most loving eyes. She found me. Lavender was the one. Eventually, I changed her name to Teddy.

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Why I’m writing this has nothing to do with Teddy’s story, but my own. James Clear was right. Since getting Teddy my life turned around and I developed new habits along the way—one at a time—in order to improve my mental, physical, and emotional health. I want to share some of those with you now.

Take options away — Seemingly everyone at UVA has scheduled some sort of sunrise hike with their friends. I’m willing to bet that thousands of those plans were cancelled because someone realized how early the sun rises and didn’t want to wake up that early! But when you have a puppy, every day is a sunrise hike and you’d better get your shoes on… your carpet will thank you.

When Teddy was a puppy she had to go out every 3-4 hours for the first month. It was a rough transition for me who’d prefer to avoid the winter cold and disturbed sleep if at all possible. I would skip a walk here and there and surely find that she went inside; it was never her fault.

Not until I started refusing to negotiate with myself did I have success with her potty training. This was a breakthrough. If I didn’t give myself the option to hit the snooze button, then there was no way for me to sleep the day away. Eventually this spread to other areas of my life. I would tell myself: Don’t give yourself the option to skip a lecture. Don’t give yourself the option to skip meals. Don’t give yourself the option to be a shut-in on a Friday night.

When I automated the mundane and at-the-time agonizing tasks that were so daunting to me, I was able to get them done with less strife. If you’re struggling with similar issues, I recommend trying that strategy out for yourself.

Drink electrolytes — After fighting the urge to hit the snooze button and getting out of bed I would take Teddy for a walk every morning. Like clockwork I would get up, grab Teddy, go on a walk, then come home. 

There was now a problem of what to do next. Teddy was walked, fed, and given water for the day; could I go back to bed? For a while the answer was yes until I decided it was time to keep building momentum. 

The morning walks helped diminish my morning grogginess, there was no question about that. Now the issue was how to keep that liveliness throughout the day.

I came across Dr. James DiNicolantonio while scrolling Instagram one day. He has a page dedicated to health and wellness lifestyle tips that piqued my interest. A common term you’ll see throughout his page is “electrolytes.”

Electrolytes are minerals such as sodium, chloride, and potassium and are required in order to properly absorb water into the body. This process allows the body to conserve energy to do other things.

If you’re the type of person that drinks a lot of water, but feels the need to use the restroom every ten minutes (that was certainly me), then it may be a sign that you need electrolytes to help the hydration process.

Where do electrolytes come from? Ideally, a balanced diet. Those are few and far between nowadays. I was prone to skipping meals and choosing to catch up on meals by ordering food from places like Canes or Mellow on the Corner. While their food tastes good, there is little nutritional value and few necessary vitamins and minerals such as electrolytes.

I discovered the importance of electrolytes and came across many products that claim to “rehydrate” or “replenish” them. I heard about sports drinks, coconut water, and plain water, but found that electrolyte powder works the best. Dr. Berg Electrolyte Powder is my absolute favorite. I enjoy a bump of energy after drinking Dr. Berg’s every morning, after my walk with Teddy. 

Compared to Gatorade, Emergen-C, and Liquid IV, I enjoy Dr. Berg’s flavor and effectiveness. If you are someone who needs an extra boost of energy in the morning, I recommend giving electrolytes a try.

Go to the gym — At this point, I had a reason to wake up at the same time every morning and a means of staying awake and energized to get the day started. What I didn’t have was the motivation to move my body and go to the gym. Little did I know that motivation was overrated.

The most successful students, lawyers, athletes, etc. aren’t motivated. They are disciplined—supremely disciplined in that they will do what is best for themselves regardless of their energy, feelings, or obstacles they face.

I decided to add the gym into my morning routine soon after I adopted Teddy. There are countless reasons why the gym or other physical movement is good for the mind and body—not just in dogs, but in humans. I decided to go to the gym after walking the dog and eating breakfast every morning. James Clear in “Atomic Habits” describes this as “habit stacking.” If you’re already certain to do one thing (walk the dog), then attach another thing to that habit (eat breakfast/drink electrolytes). Eventually, the chain grows and you can add other habits. After eating breakfast I decided to make it routine to go to the gym, without giving myself the option to skip. It was hard at first, but sure enough it became a habit.

Golden Retrievers are particularly energetic dogs to say the least. So afternoon and evening walks are not only necessary, but required to keep Teddy happy and healthy. It goes without saying that I almost always walk with her. I went from rotting in bed for days on end to waking up early, eating healthy, and moving my body consistently. The best part is that there is no will power, no debating with myself, and no regret. It’s simply what I do now.

You are what you consume — Once you fall in love with the gym and physical activity, it stays with you forever. It also impacts you forever. Cardio exercises like swimming improve your endurance and heart health. Weight training can increase your muscle mass, improving injury prevention and strength. Recreation like yoga or golf can improve your coordination and help you meet people.

One notable side effect of movement is that it makes you hungry! Your body was active and working hard for 1-2 hours. You need to replace the energy expelled with food. Boy, was it a rude awakening for me to find out that an everything bagel from Bodos and a Starbucks latte was not enough for me to recover from a leg workout.

I was sore for weeks before I realized that weight lifting breaks down muscle tissue and that means you have to replace it as a result. I was so hungry all the time and defaulted to crappy take-out, ramen noodles, and dining-hall desserts.

Over the next few months, I started listening to my body when it came to food. When I ate a breakfast burrito from Chick-Fil-A I always ended up with a stomach ache. When I ate a homemade breakfast burrito, I felt sustained and energized. When I drank that Starbucks latte, loaded with sugars at 9:00 a.m., I would start crashing at 10:30 a.m. When I started drinking black coffee, I would feel refreshed and energized through the afternoon. 

As a puppy, Teddy ate three meals a day at the exact same times of the day. Slowly, I found my meals mirroring hers in terms of simplicity and frequency. I cut out most processed foods and takeout. Instead, I began to opt for home cooked meals, meal-prepped meals, and whole foods. Overtime, my energy levels skyrocketed.

The saying “you are what you eat” doesn’t just apply to food. You are what you read. You are what you watch. You are what you spend time on. You are who you spend time with!

I have met my best friends since getting Teddy. I cut people out that caused nothing but stress in my life, and I believe she helped me realize that. When you’re sleep deprived and have a responsibility as large as a dog, you realize that unnecessary drama has no place in your life. 

You know what else I realized doesn’t belong in my life? Bad habits. There are certain things I did that were objectively bad for my physical or mental health that I continued to do out of habit. They brought me no comfort beyond that they were routine. I could always count on them.

Nobody’s perfect, but I sure feel more confident in myself now that I do things throughout the day that I’m proud of while straying away from things that give me anxiety.

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There are countless ways to increase your personal responsibility and battle depression. I never would have thought of a dog as a method of achieving either goal. I’m glad it worked out for me. 

If you struggle with habit building or enjoy lifestyle advice, I cannot recommend Atomic Habits enough. It introduces such a practical way of thinking.

Don’t get a dog unless you are willing to become fiercely responsible and dedicate yourself to their needs. Getting a dog worked out well for me, but that might not be the case for you. I’d rather you take this message with you: life doesn’t have to be so hard in the hard times! Establish systems that prevent you from slipping into bad habits. Start one step at a time.

I grew up with Golden Retrievers. I always knew I’d get one, but I would never have guessed at this age. Teddy is the reason I got my life back on track. If I were to go back and do things differently, I wouldn’t change a thing.

I owe you, Ted. Thank you.