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Make Your Dog Your Workout Partner

by Carol Krucoff

My father put on five pounds the summer after our cocker spaniel, Budgie, died. Without the family pet's need for an after-dinner walk, Dad stopped taking his nightly, 45-minute stroll around the neighborhood. Within a few months, his waistline expanded.
I remembered this recently when I saw a friend who'd been trying to lose weight for years and discovered that he'd finally managed to shed 15 pounds. How?

'Got a dog,' he said. 'We walk three miles every morning.'

Fitness experts regularly advise people to workout with a buddy because studies show that those who exercise with a partner are more likely to stick with their program. But while the research considers only human exercise pals, I'm certain the conclusions could extend to canine companions as well. Dogs provide wonderful camaraderie and motivation to be active, while adding an extra measure of safety and a huge serving of fun. And unlike a human workout buddy, your dog will never cancel on you at the last minute or bore you with obscure details of an intricate business deal.

Even regular exercisers can add a new dimension to their workouts with a dog. Although I've been hooked on my morning run for years, it's become even more fun in the year since our family got Sheba the Beagle. Sheba's shaken up my old routine--a 30-minute jog around the high school track--since she can't abide merely running in circles and refuses to wait patiently for me while I do. So now I tackle something I once hated. We run hills. Up and down our hilly neighborhood, Sheba and I run several miles, stopping frequently to sniff for squirrels (Sheba) and breathe deeply (me).

I call them 'Squirrel Sprints' because our intense bursts of chasing small creatures interspersed with slower strolling and sniffing is a form of interval training that actually has increased my speed. When we get to the high school, I'll tie Sheba's leash to the fence while I do sit-ups and push-ups at the par-course--a strengthening workout I'd often skipped when I used to run solo. Then we finish up with an all-out race home, where the winner--Sheba--gets the first drink of water.

Of course bringing a dog into your home is a serious responsibility not to be taken lightly. Unlike an expensive exercise machine, you can't stick a dog in a corner and use it as a clothes hanger when you get tired of it.

But in addition to being a fun way to activate your whole family, having a dog also provides some simple--but profound--lessons in leading a healthy life. Here, for example, are some health secrets I've learned from exercising with Sheba:

Greet everyone you meet, but keep your ears cocked until you determine if it's friend or foe.
Lap up water at every opportunity.
Enjoy nature in all her moods. Walking in the rain or snow can be delightful. (Only a crazy human, however, would run in summer's mid-day heat.)
Stretch frequently, especially when you've been sitting or lying down. The yoga pose called 'Down Dog,' which is modeled after a canine's favorite 'paws forward, tail up' stretch, is an unparallelled way to remove kinks from the legs, back and shoulders.
Live in the moment. Don't brood over the past or worry about the future. Embrace whatever you're doing--running, eating, sniffing, sleeping--with your whole being.
Rely on more than just your eyes. Smell, taste, touch and hearing are also important ways to sense the world.
Always take time to roll on the floor and play.
Remember: Never be too busy to stop and smell the rabbit holes.

Do you have a picture of your favorite canine workout partner that you'd like to share with us on this page? Send a picture of you and your favorite workout buddy (2-legged or 4 legged) and/or your favorite workout tales to workoutbuddy@highlevelfitness.com and we'll put your photo (and story!) on our site!

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