If you do one thing this week... take the dog for a walk

Walking is a great way to keep fit. But getting out and striding each day can sometimes be the last thing you want to do.

So what better motivation than a pair of doleful eyes looking up at you to give you the guilts?

Studies suggest that owning a dog can bump up the number of minutes of walking you do each week, and getting out for a ramble with your pooch can be a catalyst for social interactions in your neighbourhood.

You don't even have to walk your own dog to get the health benefits – findings just published in Clinical Nursing Researchfound that participants who went on a walking programme with "loaner" dogs lost an average of a stone each over 50 weeks.

Interestingly, a study in the Netherlands published earlier this year found that the degree to which dogs (but not cats) were overweight correlated to the body mass index of their owners. So do all six legs a favour and dig out the lead.