"The quality of life is defined by what you can do, not by what you cannot do."

(continued) American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines a sedentary individual as one that does not accumulate thirty minutes or more of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.

Pete Egoscue; author of the book "The Egoscue Method of Health through Motion," states that "humans suffer from motion starvation/deprivation." If we don't get a physical outlet, we tend to build up stress and make our situation worse. Human function was determined for us a long time ago. We are bipeds and are "engineered" to move. We are intended to move unrestricted in all three planes of motion. (This is a universal term used to describe human movements which occur in three dimensions, the sagittal, frontal and transverse planes.) We are also designed to be an adaptable and very resilient species. However, due to this modern day lifestyle, our natural function has become somewhat dysfunctional.

Remember: "The quality of life is defined by what you CAN do, not by what you cannot do."

According to recent CDC studies, 65% of the American population is overweight and obese. Lack of movement in conjunction with our high food consumption can be blamed for most of this unfortunate situation. In addition, 80% of the US population suffers from low back pain (LBP). These are grim statistics. Most LBP can be prevented if we only stayed active. Most of us blame our sad condition on age. It is NOT age. It is HOW we have lived our lives up to that point that is to blame. All of these components influence our quality of life.

Another consequence of our "frantic" schedule and sedentary lifestyle behaviors is that we don't find time to spend with our four-legged friends. IF we find time to do an activity or two with our dogs it is mostly done on a weekend. That puts our dogs in the same position we are in ; we make them too become weekend warriors. On a day to day basis our companions are often left alone a big portion of the day, inside, outside or in an x-pen or crate. More or less confined. They have very little social interaction with other dogs and/or people. They receive limited constructive exercise, spontaneous play, and are more or less taken out of the "job market." In other words, our companions are mentally and physically under-stimulated and become very bored. While some dogs can handle this lifestyle just fine, others become very lonely, frustrated and will look for their own assigned "hobbies." Dr. Ian Dunbar founder of APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) and Gwen Bohnenkamp state the following: "It is unrealistic to expect that a normal, healthy, active dog can be isolated and confined for long periods of time without developing some habits that annoy its owner. The owner should ensure that the dog has adequate opportunity for general exercise, so that it has less need to burn off excess energy via compulsive *chewing.

If the owner does not actively provide acceptable forms of entertainment, then the dog will improvise.” They go on to say: “There are some general reasons that dogs resort to misbehavior: namely, the dogs are bored, or they have too much energy and nothing to do with it. Moreover, whenever the dog improvises a little and painstakingly develops some form of occupational therapy to burn off excess energy, the owner disapproves. Instead, the owner should take the initiative to ensure that the dog is well exercised."

As if this is not enough of a repeat of the human "breakdown" The National Academy of Sciences' National Research Council have found that 25% of cats and dogs in the Western World are obese due to overfeeding. The results of the study officially came out in September 2003. However, the research for the study was performed a couple of years prior. This could imply that the % of obese cats and dogs are even higher today. Chris Zink D.V.M., Ph.D. and author of the book "Peak Performance - Coaching the Canine Athlete" states the following: "A conservative estimate is that about 75% of the dogs that I see are overweight; approximately 25% are actually obese." Overweight and obese cats and dogs unfortunately run the same health risks as people do; diabetes, heart disease, joint problems etc.

Now the question becomes: are we overfeeding or under exercising ourselves and our dogs or both?

Here are some reality checks:
- If we, and that includes our dogs, consume more than the energy we expend (daily activities/exercise) - we gain weight.

- If we consume the same amount of food as the energy we expend (daily activities/exercise) - we maintain weight.

A simple formula for success:
- If we consume less food than the energy we expend (daily activities/exercise) - we lose weight.

In other words: Sensible, balanced eating habits mixed with a moderate exercise plan will give us the greatest results.

There are mutual benefits to exercising together. Wouldn't it just make sense to "double the pleasure; and double the fun?"

What do we need to take into consideration before embarking on an exercise program for both humans and our canine companions?

1. SEE A PHYSICIAN/VET BEFORE EMBARKING ON AN EXERCISE PROGRAM!

Ideally, a health, fitness and/or performance program should be based on the individual human's/dog's health history (past and current), structural and functional assessments, breed (dogs only), level of ability, motivation, nutritional intake, weight, age and needs/goals. Optimum health, fitness and performance programs include three factors; cardiovascular training, strength training and flexibility training. Click here to learn more

2. Make a pact; make a commitment.

3. Go out and DO IT!

* Additional behavioral problems are barking, digging, scratching, fence fighting, escaping etc.