For those of you who don't own a dog and want to be more active, listen up!
Specialists from the University of Liverpool examined 385 families in the UK and found that owning a canine makes you more physically active and promotes a healthier lifestyle. Their study focused on not just an individual who owns a dog, but the whole family. They found that everyone living in the household was physically more active.
Their results found that those families who owned a dog would go out walking more frequently and for longer periods of time than families who didn't own a dog. It didn't matter the type of dog, all canines urged families to get up and move more.
The studies lead author Dr. Carri Westgarth, concluded with, "Our findings provide support for the role of pet dogs in promoting and maintaining positive health behaviors such as walking. Without dogs, it is likely that population physical activity levels would be much lower." Dr. Westgarth also pointed out that city planners should add more parks and dog-friendly walking paths to their infrastructure.
Via: Theirfo
