Joanna Hall wanted to help families be more physically active and spend more time together - without having to spend lots of money. She hit on the idea of matching households with rescue dogs via the Dogs Trust, and developing a six-week walking programme for them.
Every week they met at the Dogs Trust HQ in Harefield, west London. The families were taken through a series of exercises, taught good walking technique, and encouraged to step up the pace to meet targets. Here's how three families got on.

The Godfreys

Karen, Larry, Georgia (12) and Benson the dog
With Georgia starting secondary school this September, the Godfreys wanted to spend more quality time together, while getting healthier along the way. Georgia enjoys being active at school but Karen has a very stressful job as a special needs teacher and she spends her evenings on the sofa, exhausted. Larry, despite being the principal dog walker (they re-homed Benson earlier in the year) is the most cynical. "I love my golf but I can't be bothered with walking so I've bought a golf buggy," he shrugs.

I allocated Georgia as the family Activity Ambassador, responsible for making sure each member fulfilled their pedometer step targets. At the end of week two she wrote in her diary, "The dog walking has definitely brought us more together as a family." By week four, Larry was even contemplating leaving his golf buggy at home and getting his neighbours to join him on his walks. "Even Benson was getting fed up of all the walking," he says. "I have much more energy now and am still busy doing things around the house at 9 or 10 at night. "

How they did
· At the start Larry averaged 5,000 steps a day, Karen 8,000 and Georgia 10,600
· At the end Larry did 13,000 steps a day, Karen averaged 11,000 and Georgia 12,000
· In six weeks Karen lost 36cm off her waist, hips and thighs and 3kg in weight, with a 51% improvement in the fitness capacity of her heart and lungs
· Larry lost 25cm off his belly and 2kg in weight, and saw a 56% improvement in heart and lung fitness

The Regans

Fran, 36, Neil, 37, and Millie the dog
Fran spends most of her day at a desk while Neil is on his feet all day, and works long erratic day and night shifts. They spend most downtime watching TV so they wanted to spend more time together and be more active. Fran also hoped to kickstart some weight loss. Although Neil wanted to get fitter, he was dubious about whether walking could make any difference - his initial motivation was to support Fran and help Millie overcome her nervousness.

"With Neil's shifts we sometimes don't see each other as much as we would like," says Fran, "but we made a commitment to each other to walk each morning which gave us quality time together. By week three I was feeling the difference. Colleagues have commented on the "glow in my cheeks".

How they did

· At the start Fran averaged 7,000 steps a day and Neil averaged 7,500
· At the end, Fran averaged 9,500 to Neil's 13,000 steps
· In six weeks Fran lost 33cm off her waist, hips and thighs and 3kg in weight, plus she saw a 56% improvement in the fitness capacity of her heart and lungs
· Neil lost 23cm off his belly and hips and 2kg in weight, with a 57% improvement in the fitness capacity of her heart and lungs

The Elliots

Lindsay, 50, Amy 12, and Mindy the dog

The Elliots were going through a rough time. Dad was recovering from two severe strokes. The family used to go swimming and to the park together, but over the past nine months outings had consisted of daily hospital visits. They hoped that the dog would give them all an injection of life, provide a refreshing source of conversation, and a welcome distraction for Dad on his road to recovery.

"I knew I was unfit, my blood pressure was too high and I had to get clearance from my GP before starting," says Lindsay at the end of the six weeks. "At first, my muscles ached and my ankles swelled purely as I had not been using them; it was a real shock to see how unfit I was. My posture has improved - I no longer stoop - and my fitness and self-esteem have had a significant boost. I'm also sleeping better and it has given us a focus and structure to our weeks. Amy has started walking to school too."

How they did
· At the start, Lindsey averaged 4,000 steps a day and Amy (on crutches due to a broken leg) averaged 3,000
· By the end, Lindsey was averaging 9,000 daily steps while Amy (without crutches) averaged 8,000
· In six weeks Lindsey lost 30cm off her tummy and waist and 3kg in weight, with a 52% improvement in the fitness capacity of her heart and lungs
· Amy did not do the fitness performance test due to her broken leg

For more information visit joannahall.com or dogstrust.org.uk