Fitness facts about walking with a dog stroller | Dog Strollers | Dog Trailers | Dog Carriers

Fitness facts and tips about walking with a dog stroller

Walking with a dog stroller is a great way to keep in good shape

Eating a healthy balanced diet and walking is an excellent way to get in shape and keep fit. Many dog owners can also keep fit by walking and pushing their dog in a stroller and also enjoy having quality time with their pet. And becasue walking your dog is a regular daily routine you can burn off calories slowly and at a more regular pace.

Most dog owners who use pet strollers get outdoors on a daily basis, but few of these pushers realise that what they are already doing is a great healthy workout. Did you know that by increasing your stroll pace into a stride, you’ll even get a cardio workout?

You can burn 20% more calories walking with a dog stroller

The American Council on Exercise oragnised a study to determine whether walking with a stroller was a better exercise workout routine than walking without one. At the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse exercise scientists studied female walkers; some of them were pushing strollers, while some others did not. What the researchers actually found out was that the women who pushed the strollers reached an optimal heart rate for cardiovascular benefits and burned 20 percent more calories than those who didn’t.

you can burn more calories pushing a dog stroller

Simply by pushing your dog in a stroller you can burn around 170 calories per hour (if you weigh around 155 lbs). And don’t forget that if you push a stroller daily for one hour each day you will burn 1190 calories per week and 5100 calories per month. Obviously the smaller or bigger you are the calories will differ. If you happen to be bigger than 155lbs then you will burn even more calories.

If you speed up your pace or even walk up hills you can burn considerably more calories. By increasing from a slow pace of 2 miles per hour to a moderate pace of 3 mph, you can burn around 232 calories if you weigh 155 pounds. That’s 1624 calories per week and 6960 per month. To walk up hills at a fast pace you will burn around 422 calories per hour.

Here is a rough guide to how many calories you can approximately burn by pushing a dog stroller:

Normal stroller pushing 1-2 miles per hour:

130lbs – 147 calories
155lbs – 176 calories
180lbs – 204 calories
205lbs – 232 calories

Brisk stroller walking around 3 miles per hour:

130lbs – 195 calories
155lbs – 232 calories
180lbs – 270 calories
205lbs – 307 calories

Fast pace stroller walking uphill per hour:

130lbs – 354 calories
155lbs – 422 calories
180lbs – 490 calories
205lbs – 554 calories

This doesn’t even include any extra exercise or activity you do with your dog. You can do a great deal more with your dog when they are out of their stroller like playing chase, fetch or running with them around the park.

Walking the stroller to the local beach and then letting your dog have a run around with lots of play is just another perfect activity, especially in the warmer months. There are also the errands you partake in on a daily basis like doing the shopping, lifting and carrying. All these extra jobs burn a few more calories. Pushing a stroller is a perfect daily, routine activity that will burn calories every day, and help you to achieve any weight loss goals gradually, instead of all at once.

If you do wish to use fast pace walking with your dog stroller as a daily exercise, then you also need to think about your posture. You want to be exercising the right muscles without doing any harm to the others.

Below are tips on getting the right posture for pet stroller walking and a few other nuggets of advice to make your exercise routine ‘ a walk in the park!’

Pet Stroller Walking Fitness Tips

Proper Posture

It is important that you have proper posture while walking with your stroller to engage the right muscles and avoid injury to others. Proper posture will also help you strengthen some muscles, like your stomach, legs, and buttocks to shape and trim your body. Starting from your head and down to your feet here are the proper posture points to remember:

1. Eyes should be focused forward.

2. Chin should be pointed down and pulled in slightly to maintain a neutral neck position, which will prevent neck pain by properly supporting your head.

3. Keep your shoulders back and down and relaxed.

4. Your chest should be slightly lifted. Imagine that a string is attached to it and is gently pulling your chest up and out.

5. Keep your belly button gently sucked in toward your spine. This will keep your abdominal muscles activated, which is a great workout for your tummy and it helps to protect your lower back from injury.

6. Use the heel-toe method. Your heel should strike the ground, then the ball of your foot and finally your toes.

7. Walk with the longest stride that feels natural. Do not take extra long strides to increase your speed. This will only increase your chances of injury. To walk faster, simply take more steps.
You can do it at your own pace

There is no need to over do it. Always walk at a pace that is good for you. In the beginning take it slowly and take your time. Then day by day you can start to quicken the pace. The great thing about walking with a stroller is that you can stop whenever you wish. You can park the stroller, sit and get your breath back. You can also begin to lengthen your trips, day by day. Walking an hour at a quick pace is a sure way to burn calories.
Keep your dog occupied

In order for you to concentrate on your walking speed you can keep your pet quiet and occupied by giving them toys or dog food puzzles. More often than not, after your dog has had their run about and exercise at the doggy park they do tend to snooze in their stroller on the way back home, which is a help too!
Choose interesting routes

It’s always good to choose a walking route that is pleasing to the eye. That way you will always look forward to the walk rather than see it as a ritual, mundane activity. Choose routes through the park where it’s full of flowers and you can hear birds singing in the trees. You can also plan longer routes to give you more distance to walk or you can simply walk around the park a few times like a race circuit.
Include your dog

Depending on where your dog likes to exercise, try and make them a part of your walking exercise. You may want to do half of your fast pace walking with a doggy exercise session in between. Playing chase and fetch with your dog will also keep you warmed up for when you walk back home.
Start a walking stroller group

If you happen to meet up regularly with other dog stroller owners at the dog park why not suggest that you start a walking group together. Exercising in a group is much more fun and you could take it in turns to plan a route. It’s not only good for the dog owners but it’s also a great way for your pooch to meet other dogs too.
Your pet stroller is a mobile gym!

Using a pet stroller is a great way to get fit and you can keep all your personal fitness items in the storage compartment. You can take along fruit and water, hand towel, tracksuit top in addition to any of your dog’s essentials. It also means you don’t have to carry any shoulder bags or back packs, which would only impede your posture.

But if you want to take it a step further, there are some exercises you can do while your dog is running around the doggy park doing theirs. You can do exercises like stroller squats and lunges as you hold onto the pram handle.

Read our article on ‘Exercising with your Dog Stroller’. There you will find an exercise routine which was originally designed by a fitness instructor for mums with infant strollers. The exact same routine can be used by dog stroller owners too, so while your dog is exercsing in the doggy park, you can too!

If you are looking to exercise by cycling with your dog in a bicycle dog trailer then we have written a useful article on ‘Fitness facts about cycling with a bicycle dog trailer’

Check out ‘The 30 minute dog stroller exercise program’