The New York Times released an article today comparing a number of new studies that were done comparing activity levels of people with dogs versus those without them. The numbers were impressive!
Here it is short and sweet:
Of people that take their dogs on regular walks, 60% met federal criteria for regular moderate or vigorous exercise.
50% of dog walkers exercised an average of 30 minutes a day at least five days a week. By comparison, only about a third of those without dogs got that much regular exercise.
Dog owners averaged 30 minutes a week more exercise than people who did not have dogs.
Most likely to walk dogs: with 18-to-24-year-old owners and college graduates
Does size matter? Yep! Younger dogs were more likely to be walked than older dogs; and larger dogs (45 pounds or more) were taken for longer walks than smaller dogs.
Does owning a cat show the same results? Nope!
Dog owners were about 60 percent more likely to walk for leisure than people who owned a cat or no pet at all.
Is walking with a person as good as walking with a dog? Nope!
Those who walked with a dog increased their speed by 28 percent, versus 4 percent among those who walked with another person. Those who walked with another person were also more likely to cancel plans to walk due to weather or time of day.
To read the full article, click here
The data shows a pet is the way to go if you're trying to increase or maintain your daily exercise!
