Laura Corin Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I came across this claim this week: dog owners exercise on average five times more than gym members. I suspect that this is correct for most areas of the UK, where people have to walk dogs rather than letting them run free in large private gardens. The intensity of the exercise might be different between the two groups though. A few years ago I observed that in British parks dog owners tended to be of moderate build, whereas runners tended to be very slim or very large. I assume that some runners start off large and then slim down or give up. The dog walkers just stay moderate. Any anecdotes or real statistics to offer? Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I recognize that the vast majority of gym memberships go unused. However, this does not recognize that all "dog walking" is not equal. Say you walk the dog for 20 min 3 times a day. Is the average dog walker getting their own heart rate up during any of those walks. How far are those walks. The dog may get exercise zig zagging from one smell to another, but the person may amble slowly in a straight line and the person may do some standing around while sniffing and marking take place. I checked out Dr. Oz's You, An Owner's Manual from the library a while back. He sort of discourages counting dog walking as your daily walk for these reasons. Yesterday, I took my dog on a 2.5 mile jaunt. I count that as exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I use the gym an average of 3.5 hours per week. I get my HR up into the 150's on average during that time (spinning, running, swimming). When I walk my dog I cannot get my HR to hit 120 for any sustainable time. Given that, I do believe that those people who consistently walk their dogs most days for 1/2 hour each day would be more fit than the average person who has a gym membership (just because people fall off the gym wagon but dogs always need to be walked). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in the NH Woods Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I checked out Dr. Oz's You, An Owner's Manual from the library a while back. He sort of discourages counting dog walking as your daily walk for these reasons. Yesterday, I took my dog on a 2.5 mile jaunt. I count that as exercise. Dr. Oz apparently never walked my dog ;)! Since getting a dog, I get in lots more walking and have actually lost a few pounds. Our dog BOOKS it however, especially when going up hills. An average daily walk is 2-3 miles. Sometimes we do sprints with her, but not always. No gym membership here... Fun question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Here. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Here. Laura Does she actually walk in those shoes?! :eek: Sorry, a little off topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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