Having a pup can firm you up

Unlike first kids Malia and Sasha Obama, my brother and I never convinced our parents to let us adopt a dog.

But I’ve come up with a foolproof tactic for kids pleading for a Portuguese water pup: Tell your parents it could help them lose weight.

Then hand over a copy of “The Dog Diet: What My Dog Taught Me About Shedding Pounds, Licking Stress and Getting a New Leash on Life.” The author, Patti Lawson, found herself quite by chance saddled with a pooch; she then discovered, just as unexpectedly, that her new roommate was shrinking her waistline — by stealing her snacks, providing the comfort she used to look for in pints of ice cream and forcing her to wake up before dawn for walks.

“She wanted to be so active, and it became much more fun,” says Lawson, who quickly discovered that exercise with her furry personal trainer could be its own reward.

Jessica Berger Gross shares a similar experience in “enLIGHTened: How I Lost 40 Pounds With a Yoga Mat, Fresh Pineapples, and a Beagle Pointer.” When she and her husband adopted Salem from a shelter, they figured they were signing up for “love and snuggles,” not a weight-loss program. But that was before they realized that only an exhausted Salem wouldn’t chew up their furniture.

Before you go off and adopt a dog for the fitness benefits, though, remember that unlike a set of stretchy bands, the total tail-wagging package comes with a fair share of slobbering and shedding. If you’re like my parents (or apartment-dwelling me), that might sound a little, well, ruff.

Dog-friendly moves

Not all dogs love a long run, but that’s no excuse for not getting your exercise. So celeb trainer Gunnar Peterson has developed a series of moves you can do together to fight boredom and fat. “It’s all about efficiency,” he says. You can see his videos at “Training Room” on Petfit.com, but here’s a preview:

Power dog walk with intervals. Peterson’s four massive mastiffs aren’t cut out for marathon training, but he can make their strolls more effective. “What I love is adding in side shuffles, lunges and light jogging,” he says. “The minute you speed up the pace, the dog thinks it’s a party.”

Fetch abs. Grab your dog’s favorite toy and then get down and do a sit-up. As you reach the top of the move, fake a throw to send your pooch on a mission to hunt it down. Then your job is to pump out as many crunches as you can before he figures out you tricked him. “Everybody’s getting something out of it,” Peterson explains.

Dogstacle course. No, the obstacles aren’t for the dog; they’re for you. Set up stations around your yard for challenges such as hops, push-ups and step climbing, and dash around with your pet, trying to complete the circuit as quickly as possible.