We all want be fit and shed a few pounds, but it’s tough staying with an exercise regimen. Studies show that dogs are actually nature’s best trainers, they are devoted, reliable, enthusiastic and active. Not like your friends, who try and coerce you into skipping a workout, too much work or when its raining, dog walking won’t let you off the hook to miss out on exercising.

The United States Department of Labor stated that on an average day only sixteen percent of U.S. citizens 15 yrs old and up exercised! An analysis of people who owned dogs, exposed that dogs are great cheerleaders for walking since they:

• Provide a robust inspiration to uphold a regimen
• Are reliable walking buddies
• Create a good bonding experience and provide support when exercising

Researchers found that 7 out of ten dog owners completed 2 hours of exercise each week, versus only 4 out of ten non dog owners. Amongst new pet owners observed for 1 yr, recreational walking improved by an ave of forty-eight minutes a week.

Does dog walking truly a good exercise? Numerous people are interested in working out to lose extra pounds. Being overweight is a worldwide crisis, affecting about 1 in 3 adults. Owners of dogs who regularly walked their pets were nearly twenty-five percent less likely to be over weight than individuals without pets. A study in the April08 issue of Health Promotion Journal of Australia described that owning a dog in your home decreased heaviness in children by fifty percent!

It’s important to set goals for weight loss. It is too easy to put it off or put your plans on the backburner when “life” gets in the way. Setting the stage for an effective program includes:

• Track your progress.
• Devise a schedule for walking your dog. Your goal should be thirty minutes of every day. You can break it into smaller increments such as ten minutes in the local area, twenty minutes playing at the dog park. Perhaps just one thirty minute walk works better with your lifestyle.
• If you schedule walking your dog every day, you will feel more accountable to yourself to stay with your plan. Also, your pet will become familiar with the daily activity and help keep you on track.

So, grab a leash, lase up your shoes and get outside for a walk today! Dog walking is a wonderful method to start your exercise program.