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1. Some actual research: “More steps taken per day are associated with lower mortality rates until approximately 7500 steps/d” https://jamanetwork.com/journal

1. Some actual research: “More steps taken per day are associated with lower mortality rates until approximately 7500 steps/d” https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2734709?guestAccessKey=c46927fc-b021-43a6-a43d-26eb90ee54b7&utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_content=tfl&utm_term=052919 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullar... 2. As the gyms are closed down here, again, and indoor dining is shut down, again, I have been walking at least 6 miles a day with the dog, and it has been a sanity-preserving way to get away from working at home. (Not looking forward to the first slushy/icy storm, though. Both the dog and I hate walking in boots.)

gilbetron 6y ago
Dogs can handle it, except for rock salt. For you, get some good boots for walking - they exist (Saloman boots are super comfortable for me, but everyone is different!). Walking in the winter is the best (other than freezing rain), I find - quieter, less people, more calming. Then again, I have a lot of Scandinavian heritage ;)
- perardi 6y ago
  I just hate clomping around in the boots. But I manage. Now, do you have super-secret Scandinavian folk knowledge of good dog boots? Because I have tried, and he hates the damn things. And the rock salt irritates his feet quite a bit.
  - nate_meurer 6y ago
    I'm not convinced that dog boots are ever necessary. Wild dogs can't afford shoes. Sled dogs run all day barefoot in sub-zero temperatures. I have four random little mutts between ten and twenty pounds, and even they rarely have trouble in the winter. I took one of them out for a run today at 15 deg. F, no problem. Salt is a problem. If there's a lot of salt out, I'll rub a sealant into their pads before we go out. Lots of things will work -- lip balm or lanolin are my favorites, but petroleum jelly would probably do in a pinch. But whatever you use, the most important thing is to simply wash the salt out of their pads after they come back in. I've done this for almost a decade in Colorado and none of my dogs has ever had a cracked or frost-bitten pad.
PsylentKnight 6y ago
For the curious: 7500 steps is about 3.8 miles, or 6.1 kilometers.
unishark 6y ago
I actually wear some waterproof trail running shoes for walking in icy weather. You have to be a bit careful what you step in obviously, since they're not high tops, but they're thick enough to walk on ice without it getting to you. Boots are overkill and walking in snow is just too slow to get exercise anyway, so you end up only walking on the cleared streets and sidewalks.

gilbetron 6y ago

Dogs can handle it, except for rock salt. For you, get some good boots for walking - they exist (Saloman boots are super comfortable for me, but everyone is different!). Walking in the winter is the best (other than freezing rain), I find - quieter, less people, more calming. Then again, I have a lot of Scandinavian heritage ;)

perardi 6y ago
I just hate clomping around in the boots. But I manage. Now, do you have super-secret Scandinavian folk knowledge of good dog boots? Because I have tried, and he hates the damn things. And the rock salt irritates his feet quite a bit.
- nate_meurer 6y ago
  I'm not convinced that dog boots are ever necessary. Wild dogs can't afford shoes. Sled dogs run all day barefoot in sub-zero temperatures. I have four random little mutts between ten and twenty pounds, and even they rarely have trouble in the winter. I took one of them out for a run today at 15 deg. F, no problem. Salt is a problem. If there's a lot of salt out, I'll rub a sealant into their pads before we go out. Lots of things will work -- lip balm or lanolin are my favorites, but petroleum jelly would probably do in a pinch. But whatever you use, the most important thing is to simply wash the salt out of their pads after they come back in. I've done this for almost a decade in Colorado and none of my dogs has ever had a cracked or frost-bitten pad.

PsylentKnight 6y ago

For the curious: 7500 steps is about 3.8 miles, or 6.1 kilometers.

unishark 6y ago

I actually wear some waterproof trail running shoes for walking in icy weather. You have to be a bit careful what you step in obviously, since they're not high tops, but they're thick enough to walk on ice without it getting to you. Boots are overkill and walking in snow is just too slow to get exercise anyway, so you end up only walking on the cleared streets and sidewalks.