Paw Print

Go to the dogs!
Volunteering at the pound could help you lose pounds. People who signed up to walk shelter dogs for an hour a week lost about a pound in four weeks, early research from the University of Missouri at Columbia showed. That’s 12 pounds a year you could shed without skipping a single dessert! In fact, other research by study author Rebecca Johnson, Ph.D., revealed that people who walked a dog (either their own or a loaner hound) 20 minutes a day for five days a week lost on average 14 pounds after a year. Best of all, dog walking turns out to be an easy commit­ment to keep. “We had a 72 percent adherence rate, which is unheard of in most exercise programs,” Johnson says. “Some volunteers enjoyed it so much, they stayed longer to walk more animals.” Find a shelter near you at PetFinder.com.