Harness the Power of Dog-Walking for Weight Loss: Burn More Calories on Every Stroll
Bond with your pup while torching fat? Yes, please!
Walking is an effective exercise for weight loss, but it can sometimes be challenging to muster up the motivation or carve out time in your packed schedule to get those steps in. But when you have a canine companion in your life, one of your key responsibilities is to walk them every day for adequate mental and physical stimulation. And that can also be a great opportunity to boost your own physical activity. Here’s how a regular dog-walking program can improve your health and turbocharge weight loss.
How walking your dog boosts weight loss
If you solely think about walking your dog as their potty break or a quick in-and-out trip where they sniff the grass, you might be missing out on a great tool to increase your physical activity and reap the health benefits. Here’s how dog-walking can advance your weight loss efforts.
It can turn walking into a habit
Consistency is key when it comes to weight loss—the more frequently you walk, the more calories and fat you’ll burn (especially if you’re walking briskly). It’s common for people who make walking an inherent part of their daily routine to walk longer in terms of both time and distance.
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It increases motivation
In fact, a study published in BMC Public Health examined the factors that contributed to dog owners reporting a strong sense of motivation to walk provided by their dogs, deemed “the Lassie effect.”
Researchers found that owning a larger dog, feeling more emotionally attached to the dog, knowing the dog enjoys walks, believing walking keeps the dog healthy and having social support from family to go walking were positively associated with increased motivation to walk amongst participants.
An impressive 45 percent of owners reported that their dog encouraged them to walk “very often” (three or more times per week), and 66 percent reported that they agreed with the statement “Having my dog(s) makes me walk more.”
How to lose weight while walking your dog
Wandering casually around the block with your dog likely won’t make a significant dent in your daily aerobic activity goal (though it never hurts to add to your step count). Instead, here’s how you can maximize the calorie-burning effect of dog walks.
Pencil in longer strolls
“If weight loss is the goal, push those walks to 45–60 minutes at a brisk pace most days of the week,” says Stephen Sheehan, Certified Personal Trainer at BarBend. “The key is consistency and intensity—walking faster and longer burns more calories and helps shed pounds.”
To make your walks a more effective form of exercise, focus on a steady, brisk pace that gets your heart rate up, suggests Sheehan. This means you’ll want to balance those leisurely strolls with speedier walks for more purposeful movement.
Switch up the scenery
Changing up your pace and route while you walk is also conducive to weight loss. Sheehan recommends adding hills or some more terrain to your walks to challenge various muscle groups (plus it’ll give your dog new spots to sniff, too!). Even while holding onto a leash, you can use light wrist or ankle weights or weighted vest for extra resistance.
Alternate faster and slower paces
You can still bond with your pup and let them explore their environment while also allowing for time to walk more briskly for weight loss. Try to incorporate intervals where you alternate between brisk walking and casual pacing, advises Matt Dustin, Certified Precision Nutrition Coach and NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist at Garage Gym Reviews.
Not only can this help keep Fido engaged, it can actually be even more conducive to weight loss. Picking up the pace for about 30 seconds at a time and then returning to your normal cadence can increase calorie burn and keep your heart rate higher for longer periods of time, explains Dustin.
“This is known as interval training and can boost metabolism and improve cardiovascular fitness more effectively than a steady-paced walk,” he says. “Varying speed also engages other muscle fibers, helping to build endurance and improve overall walking efficiency.”
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