It’s walkies not dawdlies if weight loss is your aim

I’m nOSTAlgIC for gyms. We’re not allowed in them at the moment and oh how I miss them.

It seems utterly bizarre that in the middle of a global pandemic, when politicians are extolling the virtues of exercise and weight loss, we are able to visit the pub (no music, mind you) but cannot enter a gym.

They must just be far too healthy, I guess.

So, I am nostalgic for gyms. Or actually maybe not gyms per se but treadmills.

Yes. It’s the treadmill I yearn for. The glorious treadmill where – and it seems like only yesterday – your brain could switch off and all your troubles seemed so far away.

You can even listen to music as you walk, or run – whichever takes your fancy.

I could be infuriated by the people who march briskly around the gym then step on to the only

BY NEIL McINTOSH remaining treadmill, that you were oh so close to, and then slow to a crawl.

How long are they going to do that for? When will you ever get your turn?

And then they bring out a book to read and slow down even more.

I mean, what’s the point of walking on a treadmill at a speed lower than the one you normally employ to get from the couch to the fridge?

It’s like dog walking. It’s walking, not dog dawdling. Not stop and chat for half an hour and allow your dog to do whatever it wants.

Two words are important here – “dog” and “walking”. Two crucial words that describe the activity perfectly.

It is good for you and good for them. It encourages a close relationship and also helps with fitness and weight loss for all concerned– even though a recent study of first-year students by Professor Bruce Bailey, of Brigham Young University in London, demonstrated that the mere act of walking more did not prevent weight gain.

Prof Bailey looked at groups of students walking 10,000, 12,500 and 15,000 steps a day and showed they all gained about 2kg, which is apparently normal for new undergraduates.

So, what’s the secret if it is not just about walking?

Well, for a start, the faster you walk, the more calories you and your pet will burn – with a “fast” walk of 4mph burning up nearly twice as many calories as a “slow” walk of 2.5mph.

Add that to moderate changes of lifestyle – such as eating less – and getting you and your dog fitter should be, erm, a walk in the park…