Fitness Tips: Let the Dog Wag You

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

03 Jan 2007 06:00 AM

Not interested in joining the gym to get back into shape? Consider getting a dog. According to a recent research study, your dog is going to be better than a gym for helping you to shed excess pounds because the average pet owner covers more miles than the average person working out in a gym.

How does the research support this? According to the study, a dog owner will travel the distance from London to Bangkok or over 650 miles per year. This is compared against the average gym attendee covering 450 miles per year utilizing various cardio machines from the treadmill to the elliptical to the stationary bike.

What's Really Interesting

If those figures aren't enough to get you interested, how about these: the study indicated that 92% of dog owners are more likely to stick their exercise routine over the course of a year whereas that number drops to 52% for gym members who managed to continue their attendance after a couple of months.

The study included tests that compared regular gym goers and dog owners in a variety of tests. On average, after 8 minutes of steady exercise, the dog owners returned to their normal resting heart rate very quickly compared to the resting heart rate of the gym goers.

Walking your dog promotes a regular heart-strengthening exercise and is great for stress reduction. Pet ownership provides a great deal of stress relief and when you compare what you'd spend on a gym membership and what you spend on owning a dog - your dog is going to cost you significantly less.

You're also more likely to walk your dog when it's raining and less likely to hit the gym when the weather is bad. Outside of the regular walking, there is the general stress relief you receive from petting your dog.

The study also found that for regular exercise, you're better off owning a German Shepherd, a Retriever, a Boxer or a Doberman. The stronger walkers out of the canines include Spring Spaniels, Dalmatians, Border Collies and Setters. Owning a dog means you have to get out there and walk whether it's sunshine or rain outside.

A Walk A Day Promotes Good Health

So while you are considering your options this January and getting ready to meet your resolutions head on - consider owning a pet - I can tell you this much - with five dogs, I get lots of regular walking in and I still enjoy my workout.

So do you have a dog? Have you considered letting the dog wag you?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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