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Brantford Expositor, June 8, 2009. By CARY CASTAGNA,

The motivation to get off your duff and exercise on a regular basis–even on those lazy days you’d rather slouch on the couch or hibernate under the bed sheets–takes many forms.

For Diane Lawes, constant inspiration comes from a loyal four-legged friend she considers her very own personal trainer.

He’s a standard American Eskimo dog named Tucker. And his tail-wagging enthusiasm for long walks is doggone contagious.

“He’s happy and all he’s doing is walking around sniffing bushes and dog butts,” says Lawes, a 44-year-old commercial bus driver living in Edmonton. “So why shouldn’t I be happy?”

Together, the two have not only hiked to good health, but they’ve also marched into starring roles in an animated 30-second TV commercial for ParticipAction airing across Canada until the fall.

It all started about five years ago. Lawes was spending “way too many” hours in front of her home computer.

“You can burn away hours chatting and garbage like that, or even mind-numbing games,” she recalls.

Her mostly sedentary job also took a toll.

“I wouldn’t say I was depressed, but when you spend so much time in front of the computer and not really doing anything terribly mind-stimulating, I think it does wear on a person,” she says.

So Lawes, who had been thinking about getting a dog, went to the humane society and adopted Tucker.

Besides the obvious canine companionship the then-two-year-old pooch offered, Tucker’s daily exercise requirements immediately forced Lawes to unchain herself from the keyboard and take him for walks.

The two have been regularly hoofing it ever since.

“I don’t have to make an appointment with him,” Lawes says. “He’s patient. He waits. And he knows that eventually I will get up and get the leash.”

The 5-foot-6 Saskatchewan product says the treks have left her feeling healthier and helped her maintain her bodyweight –although weight loss was never the goal.

Other spinoff benefits are improved stamina and endurance, and a growing circle of like-minded friends who also relish their time at the “Bark Park,” as Lawes calls it.

Plus, there’s the TV stardom, although she insists Tucker is the real star.

In November, Lawes heard that ParticipAction–the national voice for physical activity and sport participation –was asking Canadians to post their stories about getting active on an online wall of inspiration at participaction.com.

Lawes posted her story and it was one of just five chosen from more than 1,000 online submissions to be featured in ParticipAction’s latest advertising campaign.

Lawes provides the voice-over for the feel-good cartoon ad, titled A Walk in the Park, which began airing nationally May 11.

Kelly Murumets, president of ParticipAction, says even more stories are being sought as work on the next five animated commercials is set to begin in the fall.

“Our belief is that average Canadians can inspire average Canadians to become more physically active,” she says.

“Diane’s story is particularly lovely because how many of us spend way too much time on computers?”

Most days, Tucker–now seven years old–and Lawes walk at least 3 km.

“I still spend lots of time on the computer, but the difference is I can say that yeah, I was out today in the fresh air and sunshine and socialized with real people instead of avatars. It doesn’t feel like I’ve wasted my day.”

Diane’s dog advice:

1) Caring for a dog requires a great deal of commitment. I would not recommend rushing out and adopting an animal with the good intentions of taking it for regular exercise. Unlike a treadmill or stationary bike, a dog makes a rather poor garment rack.

2) Researching breeds and finding the right match is always a good idea. Some dogs need a lot more attention and exercise than others. Small dogs do not necessarily mean small exercise requirements.

3) If owning a dog isn’t an option, but you still want motivation to get out and get moving, why not consider walking your neighbour’s dog or even volunteering at the shelter?