When you first decide to become a pet parent, you know that you're making a serious committment. You're committing to taking care of your dog or cat, loving them, and always looking out for them. What you may not realize, is that it works the other way too! Not only is your pet providing you and your family with companionship, but they're helping to keep you healthy in ways you may have never realized. From mental health to heart health, your pet's helping to improve your well-being.

Here are just some of the ways your pet is helping to keep you healthy...

Keeping You Active

If you have a dog, one of your main duties is to take your dog out for walks, so they can frolic in the fresh air and burn some of that never-ending energy they have. In turn, you yourself are benefiting from these walks and games of fetch. One study showed how dog parents are more likely to spend time doing mild and moderate physical activities. So, even if you're not the type of person to go to the gym or exercise by choice, being a pet parent is incidentally keeping you active! 

Improve Your Heart Health

Having a pet keeps your heart healthy in a few different ways. Walking your dog helps to lower blood pressure, but it's also been shown that interacting with your pet by talking to them, or more importantly petting or cuddling with them can decrease blood pressure as well. Data also reflects that there is a relationship between having a pet and subsequently having lower levels of cholesterol and trigylcerides. These effects in turn help to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Just another added bonus to having a pet around (along with the slobbery kisses). 

Help Build Your Immune System

Research in the past decade has been able to show that owning a pet helps to build your immune system, especially in babies and chidlren. One study showed that children who had pets at home were less likely to be afflicted with common illnesses like colds, flus, or allergies. This was especially pronounced with dog owners. The bacteria and allergens that your dog brings into the home actually help to boost your child's immunity! Not only that, but pets serve as a great companion to your child. 

Improve Mental Health

If you've ever had a bad day and come home to a loving dog or cat, you can attest to the simple fact that spending time with your pet makes you feel better. Whether it's that they soothe your stress, provide companionship, or just plain make you happy, your pet helps improve your mood. It just so happens that research supports this notion! Studies have shown that playing with or just being around your pet can help elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which in turn make you feel happier and calmer. This explains why Animal-Assisted Therpay and Pet-Facilitated Therapy have become more prevalent in treating stress and depression. No wonder Uber's puppy delivery is always so popular! 

Up Your Social Game 

Pets not only help make you happy at home, but they're a great way to keep you social in your community as well. It's likely that taking your dog for a walk will turn into a social event, with people stopping you on the sidewalk to pet your dog or other pet parents approaching you for friendly conversation. Your pet serves as the perfect icebreaker in these types of social interactions! Whether you're meeting people at the dog park, in doggy daycare, or other pet-centric communities, your pet is helping you meet like-minded individuals. 

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