The Best Exercise Accountability Buddy has Four Legs

“An intelligent person finds almost everything ridiculous, a wise person hardly anything.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Many of us are looking for gym buddies to help us stay accountable to our fitness goals. But maybe we should be looking at our furry friends instead of our fleshy human ones.

A study found that people with dogs walk 22 minutes more per day than people who don’t have dogs, or in their words “Owning a dog indicated a large, potentially health improving, average effect…”

The CDC recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, such as walking. Walking time with a dog could get you to the minimum alone.

With dog abandonment as pervasive a problem as ever, taking a rescue could be a way to save two bodies.

Having a dog has led me to spend more time outdoors, and running with her helped me break my monthly running record. (This newsletter is making me wonder if we should add dog walking features to Pantheon.)

Related Resources

If you do have a dog, one way to get more exercise with them is to track their activity. Doggy fitness trackers like the Whistle and Fi will tell you how much active time your pup is getting (I have had both and prefer the Fi because it measures steps and looks nicer).
If you can’t adopt a dog, but want to walk with them anyway, many shelters let people foster dogs for a day. Consider picking up a pup and taking it for a walk on a weekend to help both of you get exercise.