by Turner Houston

I wasn’t always heavy—in fact, I was really skinny for much of my life, but when I retired, I slowed down and the pounds piled on. When I started to have to buy larger size jeans, I realized I’d need to change my life. I joined a gym and dragged myself there three times a week, cut back on the carbs and tried to get more regular sleep. The extra weight started to come off—but not at the rate I’d hoped for.

“You know, you have a really great motivator and exercise partner at home,” my trainer told me one day. “You could work out together every day for just a half hour and you’d see big changes.”

I was trying to imagine my husband having to adapt his work schedule around my exercise needs and the picture wasn’t pretty. “Um, don’t think that’d work.”

“You mean your dogs don’t like exercise?”

“Oh!—the dogs!” I had a crew of three mutts who loved the companionship and exercise of our infrequent walks. In fact, they loved doing anything I wanted to do with them (except trimming their nails); they’d be perfect partners for daily, serious walks! But would they help me lose weight?

According to Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, 60% of Americans are overweight or obese, and an estimated 25% of our pet population is also overweight. Dr. Robert Kushner, Clinical Director of the Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity in Chicago,  Medical Director of Diet.com and author of Fitness Unleashed!: A Dog and Owner’s Guide to Losing Weight and Gaining Health Together devised a study to show that people are more effective at losing weight and maintaining that weight loss when they do it with a faithful pet. During the course of the 12-month study, both people and dogs lost weight and kept it off. People lost an average of 11 lbs. And dogs lost an average of 12 lbs. The study found that “participants gained the confidence and the motivation to stick to a specific diet and exercise strategies and succeed at weight loss—not just for the moment, but for the long term.”

I began taking my dogs for aerobic walks—at least aerobic for me because I kept up a brisk pace forward, up and down terrain while the dogs were off-leash on our fenced property and would burst forward to chase imaginary prey, or linger at a spot while smelling fascinating scents. We would wend our way through a flat meadow (Run, run! Chase each other!), then into the hilly woods (Look—squirrels! Attack! Wait, how did they get up in those trees? Bark! Alert the world—there’s a squirrel in that tree! Bark some more!), down a hillside to cross a stream (Oh, the frogs!), then up the bank and into another meadow where another chase could take place. I kept my heart rate up above 135, puffing as I climbed the long slow hill of the front meadow, dogs leaping and running around me. Then we’d be back at that first, flat meadow and we’d do the circuit two more times.

Because I didn’t wear headphones, I would hear the symphony of dog noises, the whir of grasshoppers and the distinctive calls of the wild birds. Often on the walks I’d see bluebirds or box turtles. Sometimes there were cows or donkeys alongside the fence on the upper meadow and I’d speak to them as we strode by. I loved my “romps” with the dogs and didn’t think of those hours as “work,” or even as “exercise” per se. It was time to be with the three happy dogs, at one with them and with the natural world we walked in. I felt so grateful for the warmth of the sun, the love of the dogs and the time we were together.

FAST FACTS ABOUT EXERCISING WITH YOUR DOG

Exercise leads to a longer life, increased strength, endurance and flexibility. Humans get back 2 hours in increased life span for ever hour spent working out.

Regular exercise can help prevent many illnesses and conditions like adult onset diabetes, heart disease, strokes, osteoporosis and back ailments.

A half-hour a day, three times a week is a great schedule to set up with your dog. Be sure to objectively assess you—and your dog’s—physical condition before you begin. It’s important to be realistic about what you and your dog can do so that you don’t hurt yourselves and get discouraged.

Unless you have a fenced property for your dog, keep your dog on a leash to avoid losing the pup, or having it run into traffic. In most localities, it’s illegal to run dogs off leash, so be aware of the laws in your area.

Make sure your dog has tags on his collar and that he is up-to-date on his shots.

Be a good citizen: Carry plastic bags to clean up after your dog. If anyone in a public place objects to your dog for whatever reason, go somewhere else.

“Unlike human partners who might make excuses for not wanting to go for a walk or a run,” said Dr. Kushner, “a dog never will. They will generally be the first ones at the door, ready to go, rain or shine.” And that was true in my case. After a while, they all recognized my announcement of a “romp,” and would leap for the door in a whirl of black fur, barking and nipping. If I ever lacked for enthusiasm due to snow or rain, their excitement won me over.

We kept up our walks twice a day for 4 years. The dogs never needed to lose weight and I never weighed them to see if they had lost any weight, but I had needed to drop 10 pounds when I started. I’m happy to report that I lost 15 lbs and went from a size 12 to a size 8—not bad for such easy, delightful walks with the dogs.

TURNER HOUSTON is a beyond-middle-age woman trying to attain GREAT GOOD HEALTH through every means available: practicing radical acceptance, eating low-glycemic index, high fiber, locally grown, low-fat, low calorie foods, religiously walking thirty minutes a day, lifting weights twice a week, and doing deep water aerobics every Saturday. Yoga is next!

A freelance writer for renewable energy companies and several animal welfare organizations, Turner has an MFA in Writing and Literature and a great appreciation for life in all its forms. She lives in Arlington, Virginia with her four-legged family.

Team Athleta’s Four-Legged Fitness Buddies

[Show as slideshow]

GOT A PHOTO TO SHARE OF YOUR FOUR-LEGGED FITNESS BUDDY?
Click Here To Send It »