There are studies showing that dog owners walk more than non dog owners.
@twoinanddone congrats on the pup and good for you getting him from the shelter!
3 Likes
Happy first day of spring! Got any new fitness habits or resolutions planned?
I’m gonna get a dog… just kidding (we like dogs, just not enough to commit to being tied down that much). But I do love the way dogs keep their owners moving and smiling. It has been fun to visit a local winery with dogs. The young one, named Bear, arrived as a puppy in the lap last year but is now so big that our regular group knows to hold the table when he walks underneath. I guess you’ve figured out I’m also not resolving to give up alcohol.
3 Likes
I started walking my brother’s dog last spring. He’s an old guy, so was a good partner for me getting used to walking. My brother lives across the street so very convenient. Sometimes my daughter’s dogs are over there too, so they get a walk.
Now that we have the new dog (who is 5 years old but still full of energy), I will be the one getting extra exercise. I took him for a walk on Friday and he slipped out of the collar. Today I bought a new harness but it was too small! We’ll get it right soon - just in time for the big ‘snow of the week’ day, which is tomorrow.
Maybe you could borrow a dog? The Dumb Friends League (pound) also has walkers. They have a nice little park behind the facility that the volunteers do laps in with dogs to give both humans and doggies a work out.
3 Likes
So it is now Spring, Winter, or back/forth in your locations?
When I was a young child in NY, my teacher taught us about seasons and upcoming first day of spring. Ah, I was so disappointed to raise the window shade in my bedroom on first day of spring expecting full bloom flowers but instead seeing a snowstorm. In CO, we have sprinklings of spring throughout the winter… but guaranteed good weather is later. (Rule of thumb for most plantings is to wait til after Mother’s Day.)
1 Like
Spring again today in Colorado. If I don’t run (windy conditions predicted) I will try to walk.
Before I started walk/run in 2017, I did a few years of tracking step count (first with pocket pedometer, later on iphone Health app). It was a real eye opener when I spent a year with home office, no on-site desk…. sometimes only a few hundred steps at 5pm… a good reminder to get outside and WALK.
For those who track stepcount, what’s your preferred method? I imagine these day that Apple Watch would be helpful.
1 Like
I was a Fitbit user for many years. Now an Apple Watch user. While I def keep track of my steps and have my own mental goals (above what my Apple watch is set at), of more interest to me are my activity minutes (green exercise ring).
Activity minutes are minutes recorded for activity that a minimum = a brisk walk. This is more important to me than steps strolling around the office or walking around the kitchen making dinner. These are usually minutes that my heart rate is elevated and most likely sweat producing minutes! It takes 30 exercise minutes to close this ring daily (so slow walks on the beach may not do the trick!) and then I have my own personal goals.
2 Likes
For about 5 years, I’ve not tracked exercise via step count (just look at it once in a while out of curiosity after a hike or vacation outing). I’ve been using MapMyRun on runs (with pace indicators ever 1/10km) and MyNetDiary (manual entry of all exercise, by minutes).
Before I got back into shape, the step count was really important to motivate me get me moving. Admittedly many of my steps were mellow from inside activity at work and home. But… I considered them all an indicator of NOT-SITTING, which was a helpful way to start the journey.
Yesterday’s walk was cut short by friends suggesting we meet them at brewpub. I got out today to run but was quite dismayed that there was a lot of wind not shown by my Weather app (low 60s, sunny). I decided to my usual 5k run anyway, and then another 2.5k because the wind calmed down. Here’s a photo showing the lake white caps, though it may not capture the wind situation as well as hoped.
2 Likes
I started using an Apple Watch 7 weeks ago, and it’s exactly what I needed to up my exercise game from a random few times a week to 30 minutes daily.
I alternate between walking, hiking, and biking (inside for now), and have closed my three rings every day since putting on the watch.
The “fresh start” conversation was interesting to me as I started my own fresh start at my birthday last year. I’d given up on new year’s resolutions years ago, but so far, the birthday start has worked for me.
1 Like
I first used a pedometer, then a fit bit , now I use the Apple Watch 4. I reset it to 60 minutes aerobics and 500 calories excess. My goal is 10,000 steps daily which I am pretty good at reaching, it includes a brisk 4 mile walk per day. If we don’t do it, our dog gets the zoomies.
Such hot weather here- changed to shorts and evening walking!
3 Likes
Years ago my husband and I went through a few Fitbits. (One time he brought a crushed one back to REI - it had been stepped on after it fell from his belt to the hallway floor at work. They replaced it, saying they knew the clip design was prone to breakage.)
LOL - He is a foot taller than me and used to claim HIS stepcount (if same as mine) was more meaningful since his longer stride translated to more distance. My main goal though then was to use it as a not-sitting incentive, so ever stride for me was a moment out of the chair.
2 Likes
I absolutely want credit for every step I take, even if it is just to take the trash out. I’m not a phone person so I don’t always have my phone with me to record steps. At the end of the day I compare my Halo (amazon) step count to my phone, and sometimes my phone is higher than my wrist counter. Why? No idea because I always have my wrist with me but often forget my phone on my desk when I walk down the hall or to the kitchen at work.
2 Likes
On my Apple Watch I put in my height and weight and it does not give me credit for my walking distance. I’ve measured it. I have the same stride as H and he is 8 inches taller. So, his watch is accurate. Now I just go by 2000 steps and that is one mile. I tried changing my height to reflect my stride but, my BMI was too low.
2 Likes
I once checked my Fitbit after an exhausting 50 minutes Step Aerobics class. It was a class I only did now and then, so I used a step without any risers. Ha, it only recorded 500 steps. No biggie since I didn’t really care much about step count on a day when my NOT SITTING effort was obvious.
I’ve started to get into the garden again. It’s not walking or running. But it’s definitely not sitting! (I do log it into MyNetDiary as exercise.)
2 Likes
Spring has Sprung! Any new walkers out there?
Below is a photo of our forsythia bush, planted by my mother in my yard a few decades ago. To me, it is proof that Spring is here 
3 Likes
I see a lot of people when I run on the local lake trail. And a bunch of cute dogs too.
CONTEST: Who has the cutest canine walking buddy? Snap a photo on your next walk and post here.
1 Like
Spring has sprung here, so the dog population on my lake trail has really increased. I saw some ladies with small similar dogs taking photos of each other (with dog) - not sure if they knew each other or not. I thought that was fun.
It was also fun to see some kayaks on the water. A few keep at it most of the year, but yesterday there were starting to be more. Here’s a photo of two of them at right, with an attempt to also get the pretty snow covered Rocky Mountains on the left.
2 Likes
5 Likes
this one didn’t load for some reason.
Ok, were we at the same lake? There are many on the front range and I walked 3 separate ones with friends and family in CO last week.
1 Like
Yes, that looks like my Macintosh Lake, I run around it on average of twice a week (more in summer, less in winter). The trail is flat and 3.5. miles… perfect for 5k with a bit of walking before and after. Last week the weather was so perfect on Monday and Thursday that I went around 2x. My typical starting point is not too far from there. Usually I drive, but sometimes I ride there on my bike.
1 Like