If you are one of those people that find it hard to motivate yourself to exercise like you should, enlist the help of your furry four legged friend, your dog.
Dogs love to go for walks. Even if you are not feeling motivated and up to a daily walk, your dog is still more than happy to follow you around with those puppy dog eyes waiting for you to give in and go.
The exercise is good for not just you, but your dog too. The last time we took our dog to the vet, we were told that she needed to lose a few pounds too. The vet then asked us how much exercise she got. I said since we live out in the country, she’s free to go run around as much as she wants to on our property. But he told us that isn’t the same as taking the dog out fo daily exercise like a walk.
So my husband and I, along with our dog, took up the habit of taking daily walks. I make my husband come along for two reasons. One, he can certainly use the exercise. And two, the dog doesn’t so much like to go along for walks as she likes to go for a “drag.” She tugs on the leash so hard especially when she sees a rabbit or squirrel she feels needs to be chased that she’ll pull me right off my feet.
At first the walks were only a mile in duration. Now my husband and dog, her name is Montana, walk three to four miles a day, walking for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. There are days my husband does not feel like going for a walk. But, Montana knows the routine at our house. After my husband walks in the door at night and has eaten she knows it is time for a walk. That’s when Montana starts to act like she glued to my husband. She follows him around the house, dancing around him, licking his hand when she can, wagging her tail, and looking at him in that happy “we are going for a walk now aren’t we” way.
We do our best not to miss any nights since the dog has become accustomed to the routine (and so have we). We only skip a night if the weather is particularly bad.
Has all that walking helped? It sure has. When our dog got her shots last week she had lost two pounds. My husband has lost nearly 10 pounds over the last three months by going on the daily walks. He hasn’t made any modifications to his diet or added any other exercise. Just the walking itself has resulted in the weight loss for him.
I’m not advocating that you get a dog just to help you exercise every day. But if already have a dog, get up off that couch and take him or her for a walk every day. It will be good for both of you.
And, if you have been wanting to get a dog anyway and are ready for the commitment of caring for a dog and giving it the exercise it needs, then visit your local pound and talk to them about adopting a dog who needs a loving home.
