Beagle and the Beach

Did you know that owning a dog increases your chances of reaching weekly physical activity levels by roughly 34 percent? I read this in Oxygen. Bet you can guess why this rings true...yep, that's right. Dog owners walk more than pooch-less households. I, personally do not own a dog. But I happen to be watching my fur sister all week because my parents are off in California's wine country (jealous). We leashed it up today, Kedzie and I, and took ourselves for a nice walk about town.

Of course, we detoured it to the beach. There was a nice section virtually abandoned by bathing suits, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem to walk her down there right quick. Typically, four-legged friends aren't allowed along the shore.

Mom and Dad, correct me if I'm wrong, but this might have been Kedzie's first trip to the beach. She loved it, but shimmied away from the incoming waves. I'm fairly certain she would have ran her little heart out if I had let go of the leash. She liked the sand, but walked away with a nose full of it. Beagles...they always gotta smell stuff.

Although my pace wasn't quite up to par, it was nice to have a partner in walking crime. And honestly, if it hadn't been for the dog, I probably wouldn't have gotten up out of bed. My preggo body needed a nap this afternoon. I'm typically not a napper, but at almost 18 weeks, I see a few more in my future.

Moral of the story? Dogs really do get you up and runn...well, walking (at least in my case).

Question: Do you have a dog? How often do you walk (or run) it? And do you factor those walks (or runs) into your own workout schedule?