Your dog needs walking and so do you. A perfect match.

Every morning our two dogs, Annie and Stout, get restless. They want to go for their walk. Every time I go in the direction of the front door, Annie races ahead of me thinking it’s walk time. And when I don’t open the door, I can see the excitement whoosh right out of her.

Later in the day, Annie will get more and more direct. She’ll just come up in front of me, sit down, and stare. I know what she wants. She knows I know what she wants. The question is: will I go for a walk?

Even if I wasn’t planning on it, the dogs can encourage and cajole me into going because they are just so darn cute and excited. Their energy is contagious and it makes me want to go even when I feel a little down. No, that’s not quite it. The dogs help me walk especially when I am in one of those “I don’t want to do anything” moods. It takes a hard person to ignore their “go on a walk dance” day after day.

So, you may want to consider getting a dog. Of course, you should only do so if you can commit to taking care of a dog, but if you can a dog will help keep you active.

This strategy isn’t all just fanciful tales of puppy dog tails. There’s real science behind it too. A University of Missouri-Columbia study found walking a dog can help you lose more weight in a year than most diet plans. Dog walkers in the study averaged a weight loss of 14 pounds a year. If you can’t see yourself getting a dog, maybe you can become a dog walker or volunteer at a dog shelter.

And dogs don’t just help you get more exercise. They will be more than happy to help control your portion sizes by eating your leftovers!