One of the downfalls of the holidays is the weight gain that always seems to occur. With all the holiday meals and in-between snacks come the extra pounds that now one has on their wish list. The good news is that there is a simple way to control this and your best friend is willing and able to help you out.

How can your dog help with the extra pounds that you have put on during the holiday season? Easy, with the help of a leash, you and your dog can enjoy time together that will help with those extra pounds, and walking your dog is a lot better than doing sit-ups. Taking a daily walk with your dog is one exercise that can be accomplished just about anywhere. Even if you are at the home of family or friends for the holidays, you can take the time to walk your dog; it will do both of you some good.

Exercising is good for both you and your dog. Dogs require some exercise daily, even the smallest breeds of dogs. Dogs that are exercised tend to be healthier, happier and often are better behaved than those that are not exercised, but they are not that much different than humans. Dogs will tend to want to exercise if they do it with their owner.

Okay, so you are ready to begin exercising by walking your dog. This is a little different than just walking your dog to let it use the bathroom. In order to burn the calories that were consumed during the holidays, you will have to begin fitness walking. Fitness walking will eventually become a 15 or 20 minute mile, but this is not the expectation at first, simply because you are not ready for that sort of brisk walk if you are just beginning an exercise program. You will need to ease into the program and you dog will probably need to also, remember your dog will be walking the same distance in the same amount of time as you. This is important because the dog may not be in as good physical shape either and should be eased into the program as well. It is also a good idea to have you dog checked by the veterinarian that cares for it before beginning an exercise program to be sure that it will be safe for it to participate in the walking program with you. You can also keep an eye on your dog while exercising by watching for breathing rapidly, gums that are bright red and the dog may begin to lag behind. If these symptoms occur, the dog is probably fatigued and the walk should end.

Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2376620/fight_the_holiday_weigh...