To ask if walking your dog had an impact on your weight/fitness

[Yamyam13]

Just as the title suggests

Wondering if daily dog walking had any impact on your weight or fitness or if it's not high enough intensity to have much impact (asking as someone who was already quite 'on their feet' and active before!)

Hoping to get running again with dog once she's old enough but for now it's walks only for both of us

Dogs make my lifestyle healthier. I walk 2 hours on the moors everyday for leisure. This certainly helps clear my mind and I love it so fab for wellbeing and mental health.

I total usually 25,000 steps most days but some of that is work (but again that is with the dogs)

I seem to be able to eat what I want (in moderation) and not put on weight so I guess the dogs are responsible for that.

I dont do the sort of walking that makes much impact on physical fitness, but my mental wellbeing benefits by being outside every day no matter what. Our dog can't go off lead and sniffs everything so we don't go at much of a pace!

I definitely walk more having a dog. I've always walked a lot but not necessarily every day I'm off. Now I walk at least 2 hours a day with pup.
Don't think it's made any difference to my weight but has definitely positively impacted me physically. The biggest benefit however has been to my mental health.

Yes, if anything I am less fit than I was before getting a dog!

I don't think it's done anything directly to improve weight/fitness, but it's terrifically good for my state of mind.

I come from a family of keen walkers, but having to do it at least twice a day, every day, whatever the weather, has definitely been good for my fitness and general wellbeing. Our regular walk has a 110 yard ascent so being able to walk briskly up that at nearly 60 is very good for my self-esteem!

I've lost over a stone since getting my five month old puppy due to stress and not having any time to eat....does that count? 🤣

It's definitely improved my stamina, I can walk a long way before getting tired now!

I've not lost any weight but that's probably all the chocolate I eat 😂

I do 12 000 to 16 000 steps a day and it aids weight loss with healthy eating but I don't think it's significant for losing weight alone. I'm definitely fitter though. Lovely to hear how it affects wellbeing from others...I feel the same. An hours dog walk with my pooch after work is one of my very favourite things to do 🙂

My fitness is much better and I have to make a conscious decision to eat enough to maintain my weight. I think it depends on the breeds you have though and how you choose to exercise them, out walking a golden retriever everyday will have a marked impact on the average persons fitness, a French bulldog, not so much