Dog Owners More Likely to Get Moving

Dog owners are more likely to be active, and more likely to log more time exercising than those who don't have dogs, according to the New York Times Well blog.

One study released last week by researchers at Michigan State University found that 60 percent of dog owners who took their pets for regular walks met the federal criteria for regular moderate or vigorous exercise.

Nearly half of dog walkers exercised an average of 30 minutes a day at least five days a week.

Only a third of people without dogs got the same amount of exercise, the study found. 

And another study from the University of Missouri found that dogs were better walking companions than humans: while those who were paired with other people in the study complained about the heat and talked each other out of exercise, people who were paired with dogs didn't (and couldn't) make excuses to get out of exercise.

Dog walkers in that study also showed a much greater improvement in fitness, with walking speed increasing by 28 percent over the course of the study.

Read the complete article at Well: "Forget the Treadmill. Get a Dog."

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