5 Ways Walking Your Dog Improves Your Health

This week is National Walk Your Dog Week. It is a week dedicated to encouraging dog owners to start going for walks regularly with their dog.

Walking is great for a dog’s overall health and we previously shared 5 Reasons to Walk Your Dog to highlight some of the ways walking keeps your dog healthy. Now, we thought it would be fun and educational to share how walking your dog can keep you healthy too!

Many readers probably do not know that I am a former nurse. I worked in Internal Medicine and before that, in Psychiatry. It is why Dr. Oz the Terrier knows his way around research and knows a thing or two about health and wellness. That said, I have been out of the medical field for 15 years and though some things do not change, many things do. If you are a person who does not walk for 20-30 minutes, one to two times a day almost every day, than please consult with your doctor before jumping into a new walking routine.

1. Manage Weight. Walking is one of the best exercises for losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. A study at Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that over time, women who ate a usual diet and walked for one hour a day gained less weight and were successful in maintaining a normal weight.

2. Lower Blood Pressure. Walking, like other forms of aerobic exercise, will strengthen your heart muscles. A stronger heart can pump blood with less effort which will decrease the force in your arteries, lowering your blood pressure. Walking can help lower your systolic blood pressure (the top number which measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats) almost as good as some blood pressure medications.

3. Control or Prevent Diabetes. Walking helps muscles absorb glucose (blood sugar) so it can be stored as glycogen, a needed fuel for muscles when exercising. This lowers the amount of sugar in your bloodstream and actually makes the insulin in your body work harder at getting your cells to open up and absorb glucose. NOTE: Diabetics that suffer with diabetic neuropathy of the feet should only begin a walking routine after discussing it with their Endocrinologist and/or Podiatrist.

4. Prevent Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis. Walking is a weight-bearing exercise which helps prevent the bone-thinning osteoporosis. It can also help prevent osteoarthritis, the degenerative disease that causes joint pain, stiffness and swelling by increasing the blood flow to the joints.

5. Improve Your Mood. Walking eases the symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety by releasing the “feel good” chemicals in the brain - neurotransmitters and endorphins. Endorphins interact with receptors in your brain to reduce your perception of pain. They also trigger a positive feeling in the body which is why runners enjoy a “runner’s high” after their run.

What health benefits have you received from walking your dog?