DOG Is My Gym

Do you know how much money your dog can save you every year? A whole dog-gone lot, if you're the kind of person who pays for a gym membership and never uses it.

Instead of wasting money to pay to go to a place you never go to, put that money into some good walking shoes, and some fun spandexy clothes (spandex optional, but, see yesterday's post to read about it's benefits). Then leash your dog up twice a day and go for some nice walks.

Types of dog walks:

#1. The Slow Sniffer. If you have a dog, like my two, who must sniff and pee everywhere, you are probably going to be doing a very slow walk. If this is the case, go for quantity....more walks, and longer walks.

#2. Doggy NASCAR. Consider yourself lucky if you have a speedster kind of dog. You can really burn some calories and get some cardio in. Try speed walking, or running, or intervals on your walks. If you're just starting out, remember to start slow, and build up. You do not want to go out and run for 1/2 hour if you haven't run in a year. For intervals, alternate walking at a moderate pace, with walking as fast as you're able to.

#3. The Lazy Velcro Dog. This dog hates going for walks, but, he does follow you around the house 24/7...like he's stuck to you with velcro. Go with it. Walk around your house for 10 minutes at a time. Do not stop. If you have stairs, use them! Do not stop! Do this 3 times a day. Voila! That's 30 minutes of exercise that you and your dog weren't getting before.

If you need help getting started, just let me know. I'm happy to do "Doggy & Me" sessions, where I teach you how to exercise safely with your dog. You'll both thank me!

    Dax, waiting for a walk....

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is great - Did my dog put you up to this ? And don't forget bending over and picking up after your dog also burns calories...

Nancy said...

So true. And it also works your quads, hammies, and glutes.Thanks for pointing that out!