Walk It Off
Want to know how many calories you can burn with dog walking? Most people estimate that walking the dog will burn about 200-250 calories per hour. If you decide not to walk and simply sit in front of the television for an hour, you’ll be burning only about 85 calories. So you can almost triple your calorie-burning power by getting off the couch and walking Fido!
The amount of calories you burn will vary, based on your height and weight, which you’ll need to include in the calculation. The CalorieCount website estimates you’ll burn about 204 calories per hour of dog walking, assuming you weigh about 150 pounds. Check out the FitDay calculator to estimate how many calories YOU will burn walking the dog, based on your weight, height, age, and gender. When I did the calculation for myself, it was estimated that I’d lose about 146 calories per hour of dog walking. And if you walk at a brisker pace and add hills, you’ll boost the amount of calories you’ll lose.
Remember — as you get into better shape and start losing weight, the amount of calories you’ll burn for any given exercise will decrease. For example, a 25 year old woman who is 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighing 185 pounds will burn about 175 calories per hour of dog walking. When she loses 10 pounds, she’ll burn only 170 calories for the same hour of dog walking and at 165 pounds, she’s down to 165 calories per hour. This means that, if you want to lose more weight, you’ll need to pick up the intensity or duration of your exercise.
How many calories do you burn walking Fido?
Expect to burn about 150-250 calories per hour when walking Fido.
This is about 3 times as many calories as you’ll burn watching television.
You’ll burn fewer calories as you start dropping your weight — so increase your pace, add hills, or include extra walks to keep the weight loss going.
So just how much is 200 calories?
A can of cola is about 200 calories and a Snicker’s bar is almost 275 calories. And if you’re thinking about a Big Mac with cheese — that’s over 700 calories! Or over 3 hours of dog walking! So make smart snack choices and when you want that extra sweet, just add in an extra jaunt with Fido to walk it off!
Log your walking progress with a FitAsFido diary in the book, Fit As Fido. You can also download a free FitAsFido walking log here to help you get started. So grab a leash, whistle for Fido, and start walking your way to a trimmer, healthier you!
Leave a Reply
Books by Dr. Marcus
