If you are like me, you are always finding ways to make the most of your time by multi-tasking, delegating responsibilities, and putting activities in your life where you can find pleasure, while at the same time, you’ll use those pleasure moments as effective tools towards achieving a goal in some area of your life. I try to get the most out of every minute.
In the previous blog post entitled, “The New NEAT Way to Get Thin Without Trying,” I defined what NEAT is and gave suggestions on how to obtain it. For those who don’t know about the NEAT concept. It is a discipline where you are exercising but not exercising. That sounds confusing, doesn’t it? But it’s done by incorporating small elements in your life to achieve exercise, such as instead of using an elevator to quickly get up to the third floor, you use the stairs to get where you are going and get the benefit of strengthening your thighs at the same time. It is called non-exercise activity thermogenesis.
So in this article, I’m going to share information on how to include your dog into your NEAT routine while striving to achieve weight reduction. This article may be especially useful for those who dislike going to the gym, or don’t have the time to do floor exercises.
I am a pet parent, and the one thing I absolutely love about having my best friend is her unconditional love and affection every single time I get home. There’s nothing more special than coming home to the energy a dog brings. For the first ten minutes after walking through the door, I am the most important person in the world. In addition to that, she is a great companion and an excellent accountability partner. She encourages me to get off the couch and take her for a walk at least three times a day.
Although she is a house dog, she desires to be outside all of the time. Between sitting at the front door, getting her leash herself, or whimpering to go for a walk, she won’t let me off the hook. When I first got her, it was kind of annoying because of my new responsibility, but after awhile, I saw the benefit of following CoCo’s lead, my figure slimmed down by around five pounds, and I increased my daily step count.
The Bond and Benefits of Dog Walking
Obesity is an American concern for both humans and dogs. Non active lifestyles in both can lead to diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart problems, and many other conditions. If you are not a pet parent as of yet, having a furry companion is something to consider. I have found that my friend makes life better through her love and need to go outside. Unknowingly, she has become the reason why I walk more and have been able to fit into those jeans I haven’t worn for two years. To reward her unconditional love, I make sure she gets the best nourishing treats, goes to the spa, and gets belly rubs as soon as we get home. The bond we create during our walks is priceless and benefits both of us. Personally, I walk one hour a day to maintain my shape and stress relief goals. When I tell people how much I walk they are astounded, for some reason. So to encourage those who are taken by surprise at how much I walk; I make it a point to say, “Doing some form of exercise or walking is better than none at all.” If what I do seems strenuous, my suggestion is to start with thirty minutes a day. Once you and your walking buddy establish a regular routine of thirty minutes per day, try adding more to what you are doing.
Keep your stride steady and maintain a good pace to elevate your heart rate. A steady stride is good for raising your heart rate. The higher your heart rate gets the more calories are burned. And the more you walk the better you will feel. It gets kind of hard walking when your dog wants to sniff every blade of grass that pops up. I give CoCo ten minutes to do her business in the grass where she has the freedom to play, squat and sniff. But, after that we are walking steady.
Other Things to Consider for Walking Weight-Loss
I have some more suggestions to share on how to reduce weight faster while walking your dog. Commitment is the key to losing weight. It took a long time for you to put on the weight, and it will take an even longer time to get it off. But if you are fully committed to slimming down, I believe you can do it! So I say that, to say this, the greatest method for getting to your ideal weight while walking your dog is to make a long-term commitment to doing whatever you feel is necessary to accomplish your goal. Then start doing it immediately with consistency! Always stay focused on your end result, especially when you don’t feel like it, the weather isn’t pleasant, or life is becoming a distraction. Never give up until you achieve your body image vision!
Write It Down
Putting your goals and progress on paper makes your commitment real. My current lifestyle goal is to live with intent. One of the ways I am able to manage this thought is to be conscious of my milestones. I find that writing down my goals in a nice journal, looking at them daily, logging my progress, and analyzing my improvements are small quantitative ways that help me stay on track
You don’t have to get as fancy as me. Simple may be better for you. Like putting an X on the calendar for each day you walked your pooch, this may be good enough for tracking your progress. The idea is to have something to look at so you can celebrate your progress, get into the habit of that good feeling that keeps you going forward.
Walk on a Higher Terrain
Be adventurous by seeking out hillier terrain. This will make your walking experience more fascinating, and the elevation increase will work your leg muscles, which contributes to an increase in fat burning. It is possible to get up to fifty percent more calories burned at a fifth-teen degree incline for the same distance compared to walking on a flat surface.