Dogs love their daily walks. Owners not so much. But if you consider all the benefits that walking your dog gives you, it will make you feel a lot more chipper and put a spring in your step.
So the next time you reach for the lead, remind yourself that dog walking provides you with a number of health and social benefits as follows:
1. Improves Health
Walking has numerous health benefits. Studies have shown that brisk walking for 30-minutes a day improves your cardiovascular fitness, lowers your blood pressure, strengthens your muscles and bones and decreases stress.
2. Sociability
The social benefits of walking a dog are well-known. Not only are dogs great companions and bring you hours of joy, taking them down to the park can sometimes be a good way to meet other people.
Researchers have found that people who walk their dogs tend to be more amiable and approachable than other people. Moreover, Brits say they find animal lovers more appealing.
3. Nurtures Your Bond
Responsible dog owners may be surprised to learn that somewhere between 30 and 60% of people do not walk their dog on a daily basis. A survey quizzing over 2000 participants confirmed the astonishing findings.
Walking your dog is important for the little fella’s (or filla’s) health. But not only that, taking your dog our for a run around strengthen the bond between you and your pooch.
Dog walking is quality time in which you can train your dog and nurture its behavioural development. In doing so, you also build up a relationship of love and trust.
4. Weight Control
Studies show that walking, especially brisk walking, can help you lose weight, or at the very least control your weight. It is also recommended that you stick to a balanced and healthy diet as well.
Obesity is one of the major causes of heart disease in the UK. And heart disease is the most prevalent cause of death in the world. Without regular exercise, people that live an unhealthy lifestyle are literally paving the way to an early grave.
5. Increase Cognitive Function
Have you ever noticed that some of your best ideas come to you when you’re out walking. The reason for that is because exercising gets more oxygen into your brain and helps you think with more clarity.
It is well known that walking at a moderate pace increases your heart rate and causes you to breathe more deeply. The more oxygen you breathe in, the better your brain and body function.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School also found that walking for 20-30 minutes a day helps to ward off the risk of dementia as you get older. It is believed that exercise has the same attributes as medicine when it comes to improving brain health and thinking skills.
6. Walking Your Dog Enhances Mood
Studies have shown that even light exercise such as walking can be a mood booster. Walking your dog on a regular basis, therefore, helps you fight the risk of anxiety and depression – a condition the World Health Organisation says is becoming a pandemic.
Walking has many benefits. If you need motivation, you may want to consider getting a dog. And if you already have a dog, make sure you and the mutt are getting all the exercise you need.
As an extra motivational tool, you may even want to download the Sweatcoin app and convert your steps into digital currency. For every 1000 steps you walk, you get 1 SWC which you can then use to purchase merchandise from over 300 businesses.
