Walking your dog

icandoit

Lose 14 Pounds a Year Walking Your Dog
From Wendy Bumgardner,
Your Guide to Walking.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
Weight loss rivals major diet programs
Don't want to spend money on a diet program? Take over the family dog walking duties and you may see weight loss that rivals what you could achieve through a program. Walking the dog 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week produced an average weight loss of 14 pounds for participants in a University of Missouri-Columbia study.

Lose Weight Walking Your Dog 20 Minutes a Day
Study participants were economically disadvantaged and disabled, people who were not regular walkers. They began by walking loaner dogs 10 minutes per day, three times each week. Eventually, the participants walked up to 20 minutes per day, five times each week. Those who followed this program for 50 weeks lost an average of 14 pounds.
Sticking with it mattered - those who walked only 26 weeks didn't see significant weight loss."Even though we didn’t see a significant amount of weight loss in the group that walked for a shorter period of time, by the end of the study, all the participants were walking for longer periods of time and walking for daily errands instead of using some other type of transportation," said researcher Rebecca Johnson in a press release.

Dogs Keep You Faithful to Exercise
Walking a dog can make the difference between getting out and walking and deciding to skip it for the day.




The commitment to the dog enforces faithfulness to a simple exercise program. "Many of them told us that they didn’t necessarily walk in the study because they knew it was good for their health; they enjoyed walking because they knew it was good for the animals," said researcher Rebecca Johnson in a press release.
Proof of Effectiveness of Simple Walking for Weight Loss
Walking with a dog is often fairly slow strolling, and this study used participants who were new to walking for exercise. The good results seen for those who stuck with the program for a year shows the effectiveness of simple regular walking for weight control and lifestyle change. Beyond the 20 minutes they spent walking, researchers reported that they began adding more activity into their lives. These extra steps beyond the 20 minutes of dog walking are probably a large factor in their continued weight loss. Some adopted dogs themselves or began volunteering to walk dogs at the local dog shelter.

icandoit

Lose 14 Pounds a Year Walking Your Dog
From Wendy Bumgardner,
Your Guide to Walking.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
Weight loss rivals major diet programs
Don't want to spend money on a diet program? Take over the family dog walking duties and you may see weight loss that rivals what you could achieve through a program. Walking the dog 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week produced an average weight loss of 14 pounds for participants in a University of Missouri-Columbia study.

Lose Weight Walking Your Dog 20 Minutes a Day
Study participants were economically disadvantaged and disabled, people who were not regular walkers. They began by walking loaner dogs 10 minutes per day, three times each week. Eventually, the participants walked up to 20 minutes per day, five times each week. Those who followed this program for 50 weeks lost an average of 14 pounds.
Sticking with it mattered - those who walked only 26 weeks didn't see significant weight loss."Even though we didn’t see a significant amount of weight loss in the group that walked for a shorter period of time, by the end of the study, all the participants were walking for longer periods of time and walking for daily errands instead of using some other type of transportation," said researcher Rebecca Johnson in a press release.

Dogs Keep You Faithful to Exercise
Walking a dog can make the difference between getting out and walking and deciding to skip it for the day.




The commitment to the dog enforces faithfulness to a simple exercise program. "Many of them told us that they didn’t necessarily walk in the study because they knew it was good for their health; they enjoyed walking because they knew it was good for the animals," said researcher Rebecca Johnson in a press release.
Proof of Effectiveness of Simple Walking for Weight Loss
Walking with a dog is often fairly slow strolling, and this study used participants who were new to walking for exercise. The good results seen for those who stuck with the program for a year shows the effectiveness of simple regular walking for weight control and lifestyle change. Beyond the 20 minutes they spent walking, researchers reported that they began adding more activity into their lives. These extra steps beyond the 20 minutes of dog walking are probably a large factor in their continued weight loss. Some adopted dogs themselves or began volunteering to walk dogs at the local dog shelter.

amandagreen1980

Hi
This is soooo true!!

I have never had dogs before, but we bought our little fudgee this time last year and its been the best form of exercise i've had (for sticking to!)

I would NEVER have gone out for as many walks as i do now if i didn't have a dog, I thought it would be a chore but i absolutely LOVE it, love watching her run and play around. I have quite an active small dog so we walk for 45-60mins about 4-5 times a week and a lot of the time my husband comes too and we have a good old chat, its a really nice family time!

I have definately felt the benefit!
:happy:

Amanda

jbuehrer

:happy: I walk my dogs everyday!! no matter what the weather. My dogs respect me more, they are healthier, they stay out of the trash, They don't run off, they don't bark half as much as they used to, and people have noticed a change in their social behavior. So it's not just good for you! Walking the dog can do wonders on your legs and body temperature too... while everyone in the room is freezing... I am warm and toasty.:flowerforyou:

diannholland1965

Well I never tracked it but I wonder how much walking I really do with our little Devon. He has to stop and sniff and mark and then 3 or 4 steps and stop and repeat the process.
My sister has a female dog and they do not do that. She said she goes on a walk pees once and then she walks and walks without stopping. So I wonder if there is a difference?
--Diann...

icandoit

Well I never tracked it but I wonder how much walking I really do with our little Devon. He has to stop and sniff and mark and then 3 or 4 steps and stop and repeat the process.
My sister has a female dog and they do not do that. She said she goes on a walk pees once and then she walks and walks without stopping. So I wonder if there is a difference?
--Diann...

I have a female German Shep and a male shih tzu mix. When I walked him alone he peed on everything. When I walk both together, the German Shep keeps us both moving. She is the walker. No time for peeing.

jbuehrer

one of my dogs used to stop to pee on everything and the other wanted to keep going... I have trained her to wait until we stop in a designated area before she can go. she's beside me or behind me and never in front of me... i keep the collar high so she will keep her nose up (like a show dog) When she stops I just keep going or i correct her. it works like a charm.
"icandoit" is right... you need a motivator in the "pack". You or another dog

PSUgrl921

My cousin did this and she looks absolutely amazing. She did some school sports as well but she'll swear by walking the dog.