Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis and her pup Gidget are living their healthiest life, together.
Here at Whistle, nothing makes us happier than helping pets and their people live their best life. We're constantly inspired by our customers' stories, which makes what we do all worth it.
Lindsey Jacobellis, four-time Olympian and six-time World Champion, has been snowboarding since she was 11. Not only an accomplished athlete but Lindsey, along with her pup Gidget, are also Whistle customers! We sat down with Lindsey and Gidget to talk about life as a pro-athlete and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle together.
How did your snowboarding journey begin?
When I was 11 years old I took my first lesson. My brother tried it one weekend and I naturally wanted to do everything my brother was doing - that was similar to a lot of the sports I did and the hobbies I had
From the Olympics, World Championships to the X Games, your accomplishments and experiences are impressive! What are your most treasured?
My most treasured accomplishments are my 10 X-Games Gold Medals. Those courses were the biggest and scariest courses and that was an amazing feeling to win. I have also been so excited that I have been able to keep competing for so many years on tour.
You have so much to be proud of - not just in career, but in your personal life too. We know one of those is of course Gidget! Tell us about her.
Gidget is a 13-year-old Yorkie Terrier Mix. She is almost always with me, with the exception of international travel. She has a great demeanor and loves little kids (probably because they are always leaving a trail of food). She has one ear that is always upright and her tongue sticks out when she is sleeping or just really relaxed. She is my forever puppy.
What influences on your lifestyle has Gidget had?
I have always been a very active person and Gidget has helped me keep that routine going even when I have downtime with my sport, which has also helped her be very active and very well socialized with other dogs. We have a symbiotic relationship between us and we both help keep each other happy and healthy.
Favorite ways to stay active together:
I love walking on the beach with Gidget…and skateboarding, she loves running next to me when I skate and she can even pull me!!
What's a typical day-in-the-life?
Summer routine: Wake up, make some coffee and walk Gidget, do some sort of cardio (run, surf, swim and depending on the distance I might take Gidget) go to the gym, do work in the afternoon, walk Gidget, and prep dinner.
When I'm on tour during the winter, I check the weather in the morning with my coffee, snowboard in the AM, gym in the afternoon, work on the computer, and prep dinner.
Very impressed that Gidget is keeping up with you on runs at 13 years old. What's your advice for working out with an older pup?
Monitor how they are doing after every 10 minutes, if they are not very active to begin with, or 20 minutes if they are active. See if the stride really slows down and make sure you have more water with you. Important to notice the energy level the following day, if they are still really tired then it might have been too much activity and consider doing more short activities until the animal has built up some cardio.
Healthy advice or perspective you would give Gidget and yourself 10-years ago:
Start her on a probiotic sooner and always be on the highest food quality you can find.
What are some of your favorite wellness and lifestyle essentials?
Love my foam roller and exercise ball. A fanny pack is a great way to hook the leash to me when I run with Gidget. My iPad to document my workouts and has my yoga app on it. Gidget has a soft harness when she walks or takes a run with me, it's both style and comfort. And I love Whistle because it gives me peace of mind that I have GPS on Gidget 24/7. Plus, I don't have to worry about her when I am traveling and can monitor her activities when friends or family watch her.
Staying on top of Gidget's health and well-being to me means:
I want Gidget to have the best life possible because she has given me so much already. She needs to be healthy and show me that she is never in pain. Quality of life is my highest priority for any animal that I have owned. In the Whistle app I can look at her daily Activity and see how she is sleeping and if she's acting like her normal self.
What's your favorite Whistle feature?
I love the boundaries that you can set and define Safe Places. It makes it very easy to know where your animal is and if they are not where you want them to be. When I'm away I love that I get alerts when she's taking walks or moving outside my Safe Places, and even who she is with.
Your job requires you to travel a lot, how often does Gidget travel with you?
When I travel in the US she is with me 99% of the time.
You live by the beach in Southern California. Where's your favorite place to go with Gidget?
I live in Laguna Niguel, and I love driving up the coast to see my friends in Pismo Beach: they have dog-friendly beaches there and she loves the beach as much as I do.
What's next for you and Gidget?
Things have mellowed down now since my race season just ended. So I am home and I have been catching up with family and friends with lots of small trips to visit them.
