Dog Walking is a great weight loss exercise that can help tackle obesity due to it giving balanced non impact work out and helping from an inspirational / happiness point of view. Nothing is betterthan spending time outdoors with man’s (or woman’s) best friend. Additionally you can also meet many new people and have something to talk to them about.
Dog Walking is work our that anyone can do. What’s wonderful about it is that you can do it single-handily or with somebody. If you do not have somebody, the dog supplies great company. It’s simple to do, and requires no special equipment, apart from a dog, a leash and relaxing shoes. It also costs nothing, in fact you can make money out of it. In addition it can be done anywhere, anytime, even in London dog walking is well liked.
Dog walking has multiple benefits. Since it burns calories, it helps with weight control. Sixty minutes of dog walking (you as well) will burn between 200 and 300 calories, depending on your mass. The heavier you are, the more calories you use. Walking does not pressure your legs and ankles, unlike running, which can damage your joints and bones.
In fact it really helps the knees. The act of dog walking encourages cartilage growth and the flow of synovial fluid within the knee. It also strengthens the muscles that protect the knee.
Since dog walking is weight-bearing it also helps builds the muscles that protect the hips. At the same time it strengthens bones therefore minimising the possibility of bone splintering due to osteoporosis. By strengthening the main muscles of the spine and abdomen, dog walking helps reduce the chance for getting low back pain.
The increased effort required for dog walking helps the heart to pump more efficiently. This aids blood pressure reduction with the resultant reduced risk for stroke and heart attack.
Dog walking increases the respiratory rate (breathing rate), promotes increased flow of oxygen to the rest of the body and also helps eliminate the build up of carbon dioxide. A major plus for you and the dog is improved energy.
There is some evidence that exercise such as dog walking increases endorphin levels which helps reduce pain, reduces serum cortisol levels which helps reduce stress (as does having animals around, so a double benefit), and may also decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
So how do I {kick off with} start dog walking.
Pretty easy. Start with a good pair of walking shoes. If you suffer from flat feet, you should use orthotics.
Do not try to do too much at the very beginning. You should gradually increase the amount you walk. A good target is 10,000 steps per day, which is roughly 5 miles. If that seems like a lot, note, most individuals already walk about 3,000 to 5,000 steps a day during the course of a routine day. Please note that many dogs, who evolved from wolves still have the same characteristics, need to walk over 5 miles a day. Many have the strength for ten or more miles a day.
Depending on your fitness, you can start from low levels. Only one problem, No dog. Not a problem, enquire around, there are many people who are time starved and don’t have ~ enough time for walking their dog. More and more, during these economical times, dogs are being handed into pet charities, so either volunteer for dog walking or why not take a dog home with you.
Strapped for cash, why not help out people who do not have time for dog walking and looking after their pets such as London Pet Sitting and London Cat Sitting.
How fast for your dog walking will depend on you and your dog. Start slowly. A medium rate, you can walk up to about 2-3 miles an hour. You should be breathing more rapidly and feel your heart rate increasing but still be able to carry on a conversation. You need to ensure that the dog is not pulling you, its not good for him and it is more exhausting for you.
Remember, it’s important to keep up your dog walking routine, for both your weight loss and the dog(s)! Enjoy it and lose some weight!

Tags: dog walking, exercise, obesity, weight loss

This entry was posted on Friday, June 19th, 2009 at 3:35 am and is filed under Weight Loss Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.