美國瘦身訓練營 主人與狗齊減肥

With obesity rates on the rise among Americans and their pets, two Californian women have come up with an all-in-one solution - a doggy bootcamp where dog owners and their canine friends work out together.

Thank Dog! Bootcamp is the nation's first outdoor fitness program where both humans and dogs get a full body workout while the pooches also learn basic obedience skills.

Founded two years ago by identical twins Jill and Jamie Bowers, the program has grown to include classes at various Los Angeles and Orange County locations and most recently in Northern California.

Classes begin as early as 6 am with instructors in urban-camo pants yelling out drill-like commands in the traditional bootcamp style.

The difference here is that instructors are certified in both fitness and dog training, and each bootcamper happens to have a four-legged partner by their side at all times. "People need to exercise, and dogs need to be trained and exercised," said Jill Bowers.

The class takes place on a field in a public park with 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight training. Each person has a mat with weights and bands. Their dog has its own mat and water bowl beside their owner.

The cardio portion involves bootcampers running around park trails and zigzagging through pylon-marked obstacle courses on the field with their leashed canine companions. Various squats, lunges, jumps and sprints are incorporated for the humans.

Meanwhile, dogs are told to engage in a series of numbered commands ranging from "sit" to "down" to "come."

"A lack of exercise and training causes dogs to have behavioral problems," says Bowers. "If they don't have enough activity to expend their energy, they take it out on your favorite couch or your designer shoes. With bootcamp, your dog is too tired to be bad."

Latest statistics show that in 2009 about 28 percent of Americans aged 20 and over were obese, up from 19.4 percent in 1997, while it is estimated that about 43 percent of US dogs are overweight or obese.

隨着美國人和他們的寵物的肥胖率不斷上升，加利福尼亞州的兩名女子想出了一個兩全其美的辦法，她們開辦了一個寵物狗訓練營，讓主人和他們的寵物一起鍛鍊。

“感謝狗！”訓練營是美國首家提供戶外健身項目的機構，在這裏，主人和寵物們一起進行全方位的身體鍛鍊，同時還能培養寵物的順從意識。

這一訓練營於兩年前由孿生姐妹吉爾•保爾斯和傑米•保爾斯共同創立。目前，該訓練營在洛杉磯和橘子郡的幾個地方開設有訓練課程，最近又擴展到了北加利福尼亞。

訓練營一般是早上6點開始上課，教官們身穿都市迷彩服，大喊訓練口令，和傳統的訓練營差不多。

但這個訓練營和傳統訓練營的區別就在於這裏的教練在健身和訓犬方面都需獲得資格認證，每個參加訓練營的人身邊都有愛犬陪伴。吉爾•保爾斯說：“人需要鍛鍊，狗也需要訓練和鍛鍊。”

訓練課程通常在公園內的一塊操場上進行，訓練內容包括30分鐘的心肺鍛鍊和30分鐘的力量訓練。每個人都備有一個墊子，並配有重物和腕帶。寵物們則呆在主人的身邊，有自己的墊子和水碗。

在心肺鍛鍊部分，學員們要繞着公園裏的小路跑步，並和他們的愛犬一起穿梭通過路障。主人們還要進行下蹲、弓步、跳躍和短跑等各項訓練。

與此同時，寵物狗們則接受一系列簡單的指令訓練，包括“坐下”、“下來”、“過來”等。

保爾斯說：“缺乏鍛鍊和訓練會讓寵物狗出現行爲問題。如果它們沒有足夠的活動來釋放自己的精力，就會在你的沙發或名牌鞋上撒野。而訓練營則能讓寵物狗們筋疲力盡，沒有力氣幹壞事了。”

最新數據顯示，2009年，美國20歲以上的人羣中約有28%爲肥胖，高於1997年的19.4%，另據估計，美國約有43%的寵物狗體重超標或肥胖。

Vocabulary:

all-in-one: able to do the work of two or more things that are usually separate 多用途的；多功能的；幾合一的

bootcamp: a training camp for new members of the armed forces, where they have to work hard 新兵訓練營

canine: a dog 犬

work out: to train the body by physical exercise 鍛鍊身體；做運動

pooch: a dog 狗

identical twins: twins developed from a single fertilized ovum; they are of the same sex 同卵雙胞胎

urban-camo pant: 都市迷彩褲

drill: military training in marching, the use of weapons, etc. 軍事訓練；操練

cardio: 心肺鍛鍊課程

weight training: a kind of physical exercise in which people lift or push heavy weights with their arms and legs in order to strengthen their muscles 力量訓練

mat: a piece of thick material such as rubber or plastic used especially in some sports for people to lie on or fall onto （體育運動用的）厚墊子

zigzag: to move forward by making sharp sudden turns first to the left and then to the right 曲折前進

pylon: a tall metal structure that is used for carrying electricity wires high above the ground 電纜塔

lunge: 弓步

take it out on: 拿……撒氣