Here's one more reason to bring home that sweet Labrador/German shepherd mix from the pound. Yes, the one with that "take me home, I'll be good" look. He may help you get healthier.
Dog owners may walk as much as two hours more a week than people without a furry friend. Apparently, some of the dog's "going for a walk is the coolest thing ever" excitement rubs off on their people. Researchers think that dogs change the owner's beliefs about walking, making them more interested in doing it. And it's good for the dog: One yearlong study found that overweight canines and their people both lost weight from their walks together. But buy and use a pedometer to track your walk with your furry pal. Our patients discovered that they only averaged eight minutes of actual walking in every 60 minutes they were out with the dog.
Of course, if you're not a dog lover, there are plenty of other ways to motivate yourself to walk more:
1.Make a walking date with a friend. It's much harder to talk yourself out of it once you've committed to someone else.
2.Find a virtual exercise buddy (at sites including www.realage.com) and report your walking activities to him or her each day.
3.Splurge on a virtual trainer. There are wristwatch-size GPS devices that do everything from measuring speed, distance, calories burned and heart rate to letting you know when your pace has slacked off.
4.Register for a charity walk (and complete it).
