is walking the dog counted as exercise when it was in your daily routine anyway
 

I walk our dog twice a day for about 40 minutes, we play ball and stroll along at a pace which suits him, after all its his walk, but as this is a daily thing can i count it as exercise or not ?

I would.Unless he is walking alone it is your walk, too.

Why on earth should its being part of your daily routine prevent it from being exercise?

dog walking
 

Thanks, i suppose it is really, our dog has a few issues and the behaviorist told me off for walking too fast with him, so i dont feel now that i am actually burning anything extra, but then i suppose its more than sitting at home watching telly !

You burn calories by lying completely still on your back. You burn calories just to be alive. Any extra movement increases the calorie burn. If you are burning more than you're eating, you will lose weight. If you eat only the same amount of calories that you would burn if you were lying still on your back then you will lose weight if you move around during the day and take your dog for a walk and such. If you eat the amount of calories you burn during your daily activities (including walking the dog), then you won't lose.

On the dog training note...as long as your dog minds you well when you're walking at a normal pace (not pulling or running all over), there is absolutely no reason to not walk him at a faster pace. Many well behaved dogs jog perfectly well on leashes. A dog's natural travelling pace is a trot, not a walk.

Actually, I don't "officially" count the activities I did before I started my plan in June. I just figured that I was fat when I was doing those activities & they are my daily routine anyway, so I'll just count anything over and above those. I feel the same way about housecleaning. I don't count my normal, routine housecleaning, but if I do vigorous cleaning (e.g., scrubbing floors, shampooing rugs--which involves moving furniture--, etc.), I'll count it.