Walk the dog
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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
People who walk a dog don't just walk the dog, of course - they walk themselves, too. And a researcher at Michigan State University says both benefit.
Mathew Reeves looked at Michigan data from a survey coordinated by HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He says dog walkers got more activity than dog owners who did not walk them - and that walkers got more activity in general, not just from walking.
Reeves doesn't think much of ``sit'' for people or pets.
``There's a lot of unwalked dogs. Forty percent of dogs don't get walked at all, and the ones that do get walked only get walked three times a week. So try and get the dog out every day; good for you, good for the animal.'' (10 seconds)
The study is in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
Learn more at hhs.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.