Photo by Juli Kosolapova
Around 36.5% of American adults are obese and a further 32.5% are overweight, according to healthline.com, meaning a total of two-thirds of American adults have a weight problem.
Unfortunately, pets are following this trend, with 53% of dogs in America considered overweight or obese, usually due to overeating and not exercising enough. The perfect solution is to get active and fit with your dog so that you both lose weight and improve your overall health.
Start Walking Together
Many Americans are guilty of not walking their dog as much as they should, or even not at all. For overweight and unfit owners and dogs, walking is the best way to get started with exercise as you can gradually build up your stamina so that you can start walking further, faster and maybe even go for a hike together.
There are lots of different walking trails in Murfreesboro, all of varying distances and surfaces so you can start off with something easy and work your way up to more intense walks. However, start by walking around your block or going to the local park for a 20-minute walk once a day, and gradually build this up as it gets easier. This alone will burn around 240 calories an hour for you, and will help your dog to shed the weight too.
Go for a Bike Ride
Cycling burns a lot more calories than walking and can be done for leisure or as a way of getting around town. It’s more intense than walking so you’ll need to build up your stamina first or just go out for 15 minutes or so to start with. For high-energy dogs or dogs that have lost enough weight to start running again, they’ll get to run alongside your bike, giving them a good workout too.
You may need to train your dog as you start, so that they stay on one side of your bike and get used to the pace that they need to maintain, but they’ll soon get the hang of it.
Play Your Dog’s Favorite Games
Most dogs love to play, whether it’s chase, tug-of-war or fetch. It’s no substitute for regular daily walks, but playing games can help get you both moving more throughout the day. Get out into your garden or start a game of chase around your home. Most dogs are happy to run up and down the garden and love the idea of their owner pretending to chase them.
A game of fetch is much less intense for you but can be good for dogs that are ready to get moving. You could even toss a Frisbee for them to run around after, and it’s a good way to get the whole family involved, too.
Tug-of-war is good fun and it burns up to 500 calories an hour. Dogs love it, but big, strong dogs are better suited to this, especially if you want a good workout.
___
Dogs are the perfect companions to exercise with and, as their obesity rates are similar to humans, why not start moving more together so that you can both get fit and healthy at the same time?
