Doggone It: Take a Walk!
Have you been eyeing the pooches at the pound?
Here’s something that might sway your decision: A four-legged friend may help you do more walking.
Dog owners may walk as much as 2 hours more a week than people without a furry friend. Makes sense. When Fido needs to get out and stretch his legs, he lets you know, and on go your walking shoes. Can’t have a dog? Here’s another way to get walking.
Staying Fit with Fido
Are you a dog lover? Can’t have a dog? Walk a friend’s dog, or volunteer to walk dogs at the local animal shelter. The bonus: Furry friends are natural stress reducers.
Watching videos of animal life may help you beat stress. In a study, people who watched 10 minutes of scaly, feathered, or furry footage experienced dips in both heart rate and blood pressure.
Be Prepared
Got a stressful event coming up, like an unpleasant dental procedure or a tough meeting at work? Watch a few minutes of a wildlife show before heading out of the house. After 10 minutes, you’ll not only have reduced your heart rate and blood pressure, but you’ll also have created a buffer against the physical effects of your upcoming nail-biter. The sound doesn’t even have to be on in order for you to reap the calming benefits of the video.
Contingency Plans
Of course, if you’re not an animal lover, having a pet you don’t like isn’t a boon to your stress-less plans. But not to worry. There are plenty of other ways to motivate yourself to walk more:
1. Make a walking date with a friend (It’s much harder to talk yourself out of it once you’ve committed to someone else.)
2. Find a virtual exercise buddy , and report your walking activities to him or her each day.
3. Splurge on a virtual trainer. They’ve now got wristwatch-sized GPS devices that do everything from measuring speed, distance, calories burned, and heart rate to letting you know when your pace has slacked off.
4. Register for a charity walk.
5. Remind yourself of the benefits.
Listen to music while you walk.
pets, dogs, walking, music
November 15th, 2007 at 10:30 am
[...] Highbanks. Highbanks also has a pet friendly trail, so if your running or hiking partner is of the four-legged variety, this is the place to take [...]