Weight Loss and Dogs

Tanner, my new yellow lab, is a really, really sweet dog. Very obedient, attentive and not too hyper...and...has not done anything bad in the house yet! He loves to run outside...I had him out for a number of walks and runs over the weekend. I run daily on a treadmill when cold, but in addition to the treadmill workouts, I found myself doing lots more exercise BECAUSE of the dog. So my point is this: IF you are an dog lover/liker, and do not have one now, aside from the companionship and love you will get back, getting a dog will FORCE you into more exercise. Having to walk the dog, getting up a bit more early to do this, or even running with your dog will have you burning off more calories. If you cannot have a dog for any reason, then PRETEND you do...teasing of course, but what I mean is set that alarm earlier, get up and walk yourself (no leash required) or go on that treadmill or elliptical machine. Exercise is a vitally important component of any sustainable weight loss initiative.