Dogs Beat The Gym

If you're looking to lose some weight this year, consider spending some extra cash on adopting a new dog rather than getting a gym membership. A recent study in the UK has shown that dog owners take their pups on walks an average of two times a day for 24 minutes each. Their research also showed that most dog owners also went on a longer walk with their four-legged friends an average of three times a week. All in all, dog owners averaged around eight hours of exercise a week.

Their study also showed that half of people without dogs got no exercise throughout the week and of those who did walk, jog or hit the gym, the average weekly workout time was around 80 minutes. Better still, most dog owners liked taking their pets on walks, whereas most gym people did not enjoy their workout time.

Any American dog owners want to weigh in? Does anyone really spend 48 minutes (or more) each day walking their dog?

[Image courtesy of dearbarbie's Flickr stream.]