Research show that exercise helps people lose weight and lower the risk of some diseases. Exercising regularly lowers a person’s risk of developing some diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. Exercise also can help keep your body at a healthy weight. Exercise can help a person age well.

“Dogged by Obesity”: Man’s best friend is battling one of man’s worst enemies — obesity. Up to 50% of dogs in the U.S. weigh too much. Like people, overweight dogs are at risk for health problems, from arthritis to heart disease. This is one challenge you and your pet can face together. Research suggests people who exercise with their dogs are more likely to stick to a fitness program. The key is finding activities you both enjoy.  https://pets.webmd.com/

It is a trend in the running community for those that need flexibility. Runners who sign up for a virtual race register online and simply choose their own starting line, whether it’s a treadmill or a neighborhood street. They run the race distance, upload their finishing time and a few days later are mailed a medal.

The Benefits

“There are many people who would love to participate in physical races but are unable to for one reason or another,” says Mark Petrillo, founder of Virtual Strides, a small business that organizes virtual races and donates a large percentage of the proceeds to charitable causes. “With virtual races, you don’t need to deal with traffic, parking, poor weather or unexpected schedule conflicts or injuries that might cause you to miss the race.”

It’s also an easy way to practice race day nutrition and hydration, says Alex Anastasiadis, owner of Running on the Wall, an online shop that sells all things running.

“Virtual races can be used to experiment with new training plans and methods to find out what works best for you on nutrition [and] hydration before and during the race, supplements, resting and waking time before the race, apparel and many other very important factors that can make you or break you on your big upcoming race,” he says.

Many traditional road races are now adding virtual races as an alternative option. For example, Colorado’s Prairie Dog Half Marathon allows runners to participate virtually. The Prague Marathon and the Falmouth Road Race in Massachusetts also offer virtual races in addition to the “live” race