Jul 05

Dog Walking – Great Non Impact Exercise to Help Your Heart

Dog Walking is a great weight loss exercise that can help tackle obesity due to it giving steady non impact exercise and helping from an inspirational / happiness point of view. Nothing is betterthan passing time outdoors with man’s (or woman’s) best friend. Whilst out with the dog you can also meet many interesting people and have the dog to talk to them about.
Dog Walking is work our that everyone can do. What’s great about it is that you can do it single-handily or with somebody. If you do not have a friend, the dog provides great company. It’s simple to do, and needs nothing, apart from a dog, a leash and relaxing shoes. It is also free, in fact you can make money out of it. In addition it can be done just about anywhere, even in London dog walking is common.
Dog walking has many benefits. It burns calories, it is a weight loss aid. An hour or so of dog walking ( that is you with the dog!) will burn between 200 and 300 calories, depending on your mass. The heavier you are, the more calories you use. Walking does not stress your legs and ankles, unlike running, which can injure your joints and bones.
In fact it actually helps the knees. The act of dog walking encourages cartilage growth and the flow of synovial fluid within the knee. It also builds the muscles that protect the knee.
Because dog walking is weight-bearing it also aids builds the muscles that shield the hips. In addition it strengthens bones therefore minimising the probability of bone splintering due to osteoporosis. By strengthening the core muscles of the spine and abdomen, dog walking helps reduce the possibility of getting low back pain.
The increased effort required for dog walking helps the heart to pump more strongly. This aids blood pressure reduction with the subsequent 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 production 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 overdo it at the very beginning. You should gradually increase the amount you walk. A good goal is 10,000 steps per day, which is approximately 5 miles. Don’t worry it is not that far, 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 behaviours, need to walk over 5 miles a day. Many have the stamina for ten or more miles a day.
Depending on your health, you can start from low levels. Only one issue, No dog. Not a problem, ask around, there are many individuals who do not have ~ enough time for walking their dog. More and more, during these economical times, dogs are being handed into dog charities, so either volunteer for dog walking or why not re-house a dog.
Strapped for cash, why not earn money by helping out people who do not have time for dog walking and looking after their animals 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 pace, you can walk up to about 2-3 miles an hour. A good rule of thumb is that you should be breathing more rapidly and feel your heart rate increasing but still be able talk comfortably. You need to ensure that the dog is not pulling you, its not good for him and it is more tiring 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!

Share and Enjoy:

Ads By CbproAds