Love Picks a Puppy – author unknown

Pictured above is the wrong way to do it

Weight loss rivals major diet programs
If you are not inclined to spend money on a diet program, you may want to consider taking over the family dog walking duties. By walking the dog on a regular basis, you may see weight loss results that rivals any diet program. In a University of Missouri-Columbia study, walking the dog 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week saw an average weight loss of 14 pounds.

Lose Weight Walking Your Dog 20 Minutes a Day
Study participants began by walking dogs 10 minutes per day, three times a week. Eventually getting up to 20 minutes per day, five times each week. Sticking with it made a difference and those who followed this program for 50 weeks lost an average of 14 pounds. The participants who walked only 26 weeks didn’t see significant weight loss. By the end of the study, all the participants, whether they lost weight or not were walking for longer periods and walking for errands instead of using some other type of transportation; said researcher Rebecca Johnson.

Having a dog to walk can make the difference between going out for a walk or deciding to skip it for the day. Walking the dog ensures a commitment to a simple exercise program. A lot of the participants told us that they didn’t necessarily walk because they knew it was good for their health; but because they knew it was good for the animals, said researcher Rebecca Johnson.

Walking with a dog is often slow strolling, and this study used participants who were new to walking. The results seen for those who stuck with the program for a year shows that regular walking has a beneficial effect on weight loss. As well researchers say that participants also began adding more activity into their lives in general. Some even adopted a dog or began volunteering to walk dogs at a shelter.

SOURCE: University of Missouri-Columbia – Wendy Bumgardner, About.com

photo via sfwchan