By Jane Sandwood
Around 50% of us fail to keep up with new exercise regimes long term.
However, dog owners commit to one or two walks a day for between five and fifteen years. Why? Because we believe that keeping our dog fit has a higher purpose than keeping fit ourselves.
More than 5.3 million American people a year die due to inactivity - around the same as the number of deaths caused by smoking. This shocking, yet completely avoidable statistic highlights the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle - but your loyal companion will provide you with a sure fire way to keep you moving and motivated day after day.
Team Up To Tone Up
It is well known that teaming up with a fitness buddy results in us being less likely to quit; but busy lifestyles and heavy workloads can often make synchronizing workouts harder than doing the activity itself. So what better way to motivate yourself than to invest in the health of your most loyal companion: your pooch. Always willing, always available, and able to train at your pace, your trusty canine will become key in enabling you to successfully meet your fitness goals.
Beat The Statistic And Boost Your Health
It is recommended that adults do 150 minutes of moderate activity per week - that’s just one 20-25 minute brisk walk every day. The benefits of a daily walk are astounding. You can lose weight, get in better shape and even prevent (or manage) conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Not to mention the boost it gives to your metabolism.
Added advantages include strengthening your bones and muscles, increasing your vitamin D stores and giving your cardiovascular system a workout. You can adjust your pace, vary your walking route, listen to your favorite music or tune in to the sounds of nature, and your dog will love you for it.
Canine companions crave the physical and mental stimulation that comes with physical exercise and exploring the world. If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for them.
Smaller breeds of dog can be exercised fully just by doing a few laps of your own backyard, so achieve optimum fitness by considering the breed that will most enable you to reach your full potential when it comes to physical fitness.
The intelligent, elegant Dalmatian needs two hours of exercise of day, whilst the Siberian Husky was bred for endurance. The friendly German Shepherd is a firm favorite who loves to be with and please his master, and the ever popular Labrador Retriever combines a need for physical exercise with being a great family dog.
Low Impact On Your Bones, High Impact On Your Health
Looking after your dog, just like looking after yourself, requires a healthy diet, a healthy mind and a healthy lifestyle. For a fun, full body workout consider cycling alongside your pooch to really strengthen his muscles and build up his stamina.
Cycling together takes a little more consideration and naturally suits the more powerful dog who has the energy to pick up the pace; however, with time and training, biking can be a fulfilling exercise for you both. Firstly you would need to familiarize your dog with the bicycle and make sure they are trained well enough to obey your commands - you don’t want them lurching after a cat and taking your bike with them!
Depending on your dog, you may need a specialized leash, but there are many on the market fit for the purpose and the benefits for your dog are fantastic. You are able to cover far more ground at a pace that enables your dog to jog or even run alongside - what a way to discover his real potential and get your heart pumping at the same time!
Turn Up The Tempo
For a higher tempo, high energy workout running, in harmony with your faithful friend, will have you both in tune and toned up in no time. Be sure to start small to avoid injuries. Those without previous experience would benefit from one of the many walk-jog-run programs that so many runners use successfully to form a good habit that becomes part of your weekly workout routine.
Running builds muscle tone and strips excess inches off your frame - and will do exactly the same for your dog. His natural running ability will mean that he can run in short, fast bursts, but will need training to help him pace himself for longer distances. Including him from the start will build his stamina alongside yours and form a solid foundation for a lifetime of running.
The huge potential health benefits of an active lifestyle paired up with spending quality time with your most loyal companion are a recipe for lifelong mental and physical wellbeing. Frequent exercise is proven to boost your mental state and reduce the stress and anxieties of modern life. Breathing fresh air and reconnecting with the natural world has no parallel, and the greatest privilege of all is to able to share it with a companion who will live longer, and love you all the more, as a result.
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