Downward Dog, Sitting Cat

                The cold temps limit my favorite exercise activities—walking, biking, and hiking—so it’s time to look at indoor options.  The clowder, of course, find any activity fascinating.  

Frank likes to help my daughter with yoga

             Exercise involving quick movements activates their hunting instinct, so I must be careful not to appear as prey.  As I run in place on the Wii Fit road course, they view my feet as separate creatures (aka targets) that need to be attacked and wrestled. I’ve tried running on our mini-trampoline (I think it’s the same brown vinyl one we had back in grade school when they were all the rage).  The problem this presents is that cats like to hide under it where they can be trampled.

                Frank sees yoga as interactive.  As soon as I’m bent into a downward dog position, he jumps up on my back and sits.  If I try to rise, he digs in his claws so he won’t fall off.  Same thing happens during push-ups. Finny and Biff like to walk across my stomach when I do sit-ups.  The exercise bike doesn’t work because the cats congregate under the pedals.

                If I were highly motivated to exercise, I might work harder to overcome these obstacles, but the effort to get down on the floor to do sit-ups pretty much taps my entire pool of enthusiasm.  I think my best bet is to layer the winter clothes and take a long walk.  I need  time away from the felines anyway.