We all know that our pets are our companions for life. They’re with us through the good times and the bad. They provide that unquestioning support that we all need sometimes. In many ways, that’s why many of us come to think of them as family. “Pet” doesn’t do that idea justice. They’re our companions in life just like the other people we share our lives with each day. Yes, we bond with animal companions a little differently in some cases, but it doesn’t make the bond any less real. There’s also only so much we can share with animal companions. After all, we can’t exchange tips on how to get from one place to the other faster during rush hour or what outfit looks better than the others. We can’t even share skincare tips either. That’s a bit of cosmic irony when you consider that an animal companion can actually play a role in your anti-aging routine. It just isn’t the kind of role you necessarily think of immediately.

Stress Stoppers
Our skin ages for a variety of reasons. Time itself degrading the abilities of our bodies to repair themselves is a big one, but other factors contribute as well. Chronic stress is a major offender as it destroys the ability of the body to actively repair itself and maintain good health. That’s because a lot of your body’s energy goes into trying to keep you operating in fight or flight mode a lot of the time. This takes away from available energy as well as wearing down your body faster. The combination of wearing yourself out and your body not having the energy to repair things tends to make signs of aging much more prevalent. Our animal companions act as a prominent way of helping us relieve the stress of the day. The affection we get from them or the sense of calm we get from observing them helps us to become more centered and reduce our overall stress levels. This, in turn, helps give our body the chance to keep itself in good shape.

Active Encouragement
Some animal companions lead us to live more active lifestyles than we might otherwise. Dogs are a particularly big contender in this area. Parks are a good means of recreation for everyone involved. Going out for a walk, run, or play with a dog can be a decent amount of exercise for anyone in a given day if you stay out long enough. This encourages better health through an active lifestyle. Remember that improved circulation helps with looking more youthful by ensuring adequate distribution of nutrients throughout the skin as well as encouraging the production of collagen within the skin. This lets your skin better be able to repair itself. Horses are another good contender in this area as they encourage activity on the part of both horse and rider. The need to be somewhat fit to comfortably ride a horse helps a lot in encouraging healthy habits. This encouragement to be active is just another way in which animal companions can help out your anti-aging routine.

Social Stimulation
An often overlooked part of maintaining a healthy approach to anti-aging is that we need to mentally stimulate ourselves as well. Actively utilizing various aspects of our minds keeps them moving and helps support continued health cognition. Animal companions are a good way to achieve this. Think about dogs. Taking them out on walks often becomes a distinctly social experience. People like to say hello to dogs and their human counterparts almost as much as they like to pet dogs. Other animals are like this as well. Particularly proud pet parents often have various signs of their pet with them and people will engage us in conversations based on our pets. This gives a gateway to interact with others when we might not otherwise be the most socially adept. Constant stimulation helps to keep our minds active. Additionally, there’s something joyful and beautiful whenever we get a new animal companion and need to learn their personality. This, in turn, engages us.

Our animal companions are valuable parts of our lives. We often forget how important they can be though. That’s because most of the important benefits are intangible beyond how they affect our health. Think of this quick overview as a reminder for what all your pet does for you. It really is a surprising amount.