Dog owners know
that your pup may be your best friend and provide a stress free,
relaxing relationship, but did you know dogs also might be an instrumental
tool in weight loss
and help relieve arthritis
pain?
Dr.
Patience White, chief public health officer of the Arthritis Foundation says,
"Walking your dog for a half an hour or even 10 minutes three times a day
will help to significantly reduce pain and stiffness."
A study undertaken
in New South Wales found that 41 per cent of dog owners walk,
on average, 18 minutes per week longer than people without dogs.
Another study, at the University of Missouri-Columbia, has found
that having a pet can encourage owners to get more exercise. What's
the benefit of the added physical activity? More weight loss than
most nationally known diet plans!
The
weight loss benefits seem to come from the regular exercise. It seems that many
people hate to walk alone, but taking a dog out for a walk provides a great reason
to stretch your legs.
"The
first group averaged a weight loss of 14 pounds, a better result than most of
the nationally known weight-loss plans report."
In its report Dog Walking and Physical Activity in the United States, the Center
for Disease Control says, "Dog walking may support and motivate physical
activity by providing companionship and creating expectations in similar ways
to human buddy systems.
Walking the dog, in contrast to many other forms of physical
activity, is relatively easy and convenient to do, because it can generally be
done in ones own neighborhood."
The
researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that even taking care
of a dog that isn't yours helps trim the fat.
Our goal was to look for ways
to increase the average exercise regimen, and we found being responsible for a
pet, such as committing to walk a loaner dog, encouraged people who did not own
dogs to walk more often and for longer periods of time, said Rebecca Johnson,
associate professor of nursing and director of the College of Veterinary Medicines
Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction.
Our first study group averaged
a weight loss of 14 pounds during the one-year program.
Having
participants engage in a shorter and longer program enabled the researchers to
identify which program produced more weight loss. The first group walked for 50
weeks, while the second group walked for only 26 weeks. Johnson found that the
first group averaged a weight loss of 14 pounds, a better result than most of
the nationally known weight-loss plans report.
Johnson
said the weight loss in the second group was not statistically significant, but
that the participants did engage in other activities that surprised the researchers.
The results
of the first group were wonderful, Johnson said. Even though we didnt
see a significant amount of weight loss in the group that walked for a shorter
period of time, by the end of the study, all the participants were walking for
longer periods of time and walking for daily errands instead of using some other
type of transportation.
In
addition, two of the participants made a trip to the humane society to adopt animals,
and several began volunteering to walk the dogs at the shelter. Many of them told
us that they didnt necessarily walk in the study because they knew it was
good for their health; they enjoyed walking because they knew it was good for
the animals.
The
dogs in the study were provided by the Pet Assisted Love and Support program at
the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. The dogs are pets of faculty and staff
at the college and must pass rigorous safety training procedures and a good
citizenship test before they are allowed to be in the program. In addition,
all human participants in the program were fitted with new walking shoes.
The
Missouri Foundation for Health funded the study. Johnsons next research
project involves people taking animals to the gym. While walking only addresses
certain aspects of fitness, Johnson believes that animals viewed as support companions
while at the gym can increase a participants self-esteem and encourage them
to exercise in other ways that will benefit their health.
About
The Author... Chiff.com Editorial Staff
Source...
The Missouri Foundation for Health - Newswise
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