January is here, which means for many active dog owners, it is a great chance to kickstart their health and fitness plans in the New Year – starting of course, with a dog walk. Many pet owners are now using smartphone technology on their dog walks to help track and measure their fitness for 2023. At Country Boarding for Cats, we have highlighted three tech tips to use to boost your fitness goals when walking your dog this January and beyond. We hope you find these tech tips helpful.
1. Track Steps
This January, many dog walkers are tracking their daily step count with their four-legged friends via their smartphones! The next time you are on a dog walk at your local secure dog park, use your phone as a pedometer to automatically record your steps and any calories burned.
Most people burn on average, around four calories per step. Although this may sound like a small number, if you are on a long dog walk and complete five thousand steps, that can equate to around two hundred calories burned, or in food terms, half a cheeseburger! By recording your daily steps, calories burned, and distances covered on your dog walks, you can easily monitor your progress which can help you to better plan your overall fitness goals for 2023.
2. Walking Steadiness
Did you know that your smartphone can detect if you are at a higher risk of falling when on a dog walk? If you own an iPhone, you can monitor your balance, stability, and coordination through the in-built motion sensors. This January, when you walk your dog, use your iPhone to measure mobility metrics, which can include your walking speed, step length, double support time, and walking irregularity. Once these metrics are recorded, the health feature within your iPhone can establish your walking steadiness level. An individual’s walking steadiness can be classified as either, ‘OK’, ‘Low’, or ‘Very Low.’ If you are worried about your overall mobility, then you can also choose to receive a notification to alert you in real-time if your steadiness drops to being classified as either, ‘Low’ or ‘Very Low.’
How to Activate Walking Steadiness on Your iPhone
- Within your iPhone, click on the Health app.
- Open the Browse tab, then search for Mobility.
- If this is the first time you have used the feature, scroll down until you come to Walking Steadiness Notifications, next click Set Up.
- Press Next, then input your health information within the Health Details section and click on Next.
- Turn On notifications to receive alerts when your Steadiness is Low or Very Low.
- Finally click Done.
If you belong to a dog walking or fitness App group, then you can share your walking steadiness data and notifications with friends and family. Just ensure you have health sharing enabled within the settings section of your iPhone.
3. Dog Walking Apps
Using mobile apps on dog walks can help you better monitor your health and fitness levels, including those of our pets. Although a lot of the technology is free within most smart phones, external apps can provide additional fitness features and therefore provide an even clearer analysis of your health and fitness levels. Below are two highly recommended dog walking apps you may want to consider using:
1. MapMyDogWalk
With advanced GPS tracking, this popular dog walking app merges your fitness data with your dog’s exercise routine by tracking your calories burned, recording your walking routes, the distances covered and the times of each walk. The app makes tracking your dog walks and outdoor adventures easy and fun while also keeping you motivated whilst continuing your fitness plan.
2. WalkForADog
This is a charitable app which allows you to donate to a local animal shelter or rescue centre of your choice every time you walk your dog. Not only can you setup fitness goals and view past walks and share your data across your Social Media channels, you can also help support worthwhile animal causes.
Thoughts…
We hope you found our three tech tips helpful for the next time you go on a dog walk. There are lots of additional apps and features available today which can help you to track you and your dog’s fitness levels this January. By using smart phone technology and dog friendly fitness apps, it will hopefully help you to stay more motivated and on track throughout January and give you the best chance of hitting your health and fitness goals for the New Year.