I am a gal who hates to exercise. I've tried everything- yoga, bicycling, etc. But everything bores the hell out of me, so I give it up after a while. However, I do believe I have finally found my personal diet miracle- or, perhaps, I should say, he's found me.

I recently adopted a German Shepherd from the Humane Society. His name is Murphy. Murphy is quite enthusiastic about taking long walks, digging in holes, and being outdoors in general. Ever since I got the dog, I promised him and myself that we would take long walks multiple times a day. On average, he gets around four walks, about 20 minutes or more each walk. And he's thrilled about it. For that matter, so am I. When I got a dog I thought that walking him was going to be drudgery. But I was more wrong than I would have ever believed. Murphy is making a fan of the outdoors out of this hermit. Tucson, AZ has lots of unique plants I've never seen before, and together Murphy and I are discovering every one of them. He's also introduced me to tiny hand-sized lizards that roam freely out here. I actually find myself looking forward to his walk time. And the way that he just turns into a big pile of happy goo when you brush his coat... well, I'm in love. Murphy is going to be the happiest dog that I can make him. He seems more than willing to return the favor. He's welcome to keep sleeping on my bed.

Wanna lose weight? Get a dog. It's the only thing that has ever worked for me. Oh- and I think he's the greatest thing since shrinky dinks.