Archery for Actors in Toronto

It seems as though I am building a growing reputation for training actors how to shoot and doing occasional work for TV shows / etc.

To date I have:

Trained two television actors how to shoot longbows for a period piece television series about the French monarchy.

Trained a theatre actress to shoot a recurve bow because part of a script required her to shoot an Olympic recurve bow out a window off of the stage.

Shot all of the trick shots during some slow-motion film work on behalf of Rice Krispies. (That was a lot of fun by the way. I would totally do more slow-motion filming in the future again.)

Did all of the archery shots for a sports documentary made by TSN.

Trained a Quebec musician how to do archery for an episode of a French language television show.

Appeared on an episode of Storage Wars Canada (OLN) because of my knowledge/collection of antique bows. (The bow they had me identify was not actually an antique. It was a circa 2000 Bear Grizzly.)

Doing various TV clips for CBC, CTV and CityTV.

All this work training theatre/TV actors and appearing on television has got me thinking however. Maybe I should offer lessons designed specifically for actors, which is what I have done in the past when teaching actors - tailored the classes to suit their needs. Longbow lessons for the actors who are doing period work, Recurve / Olympic Recurve lessons for the threatre actress who is shooting an Olympic recurve on stage.

Toronto does have a vibrant film, television and theatre industry after all. There is certainly a demand for more actors who can do archery properly, as opposed to the current standard which is actors who barely know how to shoot appearing in films/etc and looking like they don't even know how to shoot. So if you are an actor in Toronto and looking for archery lessons in Toronto then I am certainly available to teach you how to shoot properly.

Note - I think movie directors should also get archery lessons. Joss Whedon (director of The Avengers) could certainly use a lesson because he apparently wanted the actor (Jeremy Renner) to look "heroic" while shooting, no matter how mistakes the actor was making. Hawkeye's archery style was rather ridiculous. His drawing elbow is too high, his bow arm elbow is locked when it should be relaxed, he is squeezing the bow when his fingers should be relaxed, he is wearing TWO armguards on his bow arm because apparently the actor kept hitting his arm (due to his locked elbow) [if you look closely you can even see bruises on his bow arm], he is pulling to his chin when he should be pulling to his mouth, he has both eyes open when he should be closing his right eye since he is left eye dominant, his finger positions on the string are uneven and curved inwards when they should be even and aligned, and it looks like he is leaning backwards a bit - a sign of bad posture. There is a lovely article on GeekDad titled "Hawkeye, World's Worst Archer" which doesn't go in to all the details I just did, but the idea that people are calling him "Hawkeye, World's Worst Archer" is rather amusing.

There is a long history of professional archers teaching actors how to shoot. Below are a few examples.

Howard Hill teaching Errol Flynn for "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight received archery training prior to their roles in "Deliverance".

Fred Bear remarked that Burt Reynolds caught on quickly and was a natural.

Sometimes the professional archers would also appear in cameo roles in the films or be tasked to perform any of the trick shots during the filming, like Howard Hill who did all of the tricks shots for "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and appeared in the competition scene of the film.

What bothers me (and many archers/film critics) is when a new film comes out and the actor/actress clearly doesn't know how to shoot or someone taught them the wrong way to shoot that style of bow. A famous example of this is Jennifer Lawrence of The Hunger Games franchise. I have already explained in a previous post why Jennifer Lawrence's shooting style is wrong and thus I am instead going to point you to that older post and the video below, in case you are curious about learning why that particular style is wrong.

See The #1 Mistake made by Amateur Archers: Not Anchoring Properly to learn more about why Jennifer Lawrence was trained wrong.



Happy Shooting!

Going to the Toronto Sportsmen's Show

This Saturday myself and several other archers from the Toronto Archery Club will be attending the Toronto Sportsmen's Show at the International Centre at 6900 Airport Road.

The 5 day event started today, March 16th, and continues until Sunday March 20th.

2016 Ticket Prices are:

Adult: $20.00
Seniors (60+): $13.00
Juniors (13-17 yrs): $13.00
Kids (12 & Under): Free!

The Toronto Sportsmen's Show features many exhibitors / speakers on topics such as archery, hunting, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, boating, falconry and many other outdoor activities.

The photos below are from the 2015 Toronto Sportsmen's Show.

Lots of compound bows for sale.

Recurve bows too!

I want to get one of these someday.

Or build one.

I have never seen men so fascinated with clothing before.

Owls and falcons are awesome!

Watching the kids try archery.

Last year they didn't just have one archery range, they had two.

How to find a place to practice Archery

We are very fortunate in Toronto to have a local archery range that is free for the public to use. But most places across Canada do not have a free public archery range - not even Burnaby, which charges a membership fee for people to use the range, and requires people to pass an accuracy test before allowing them to have a membership. (This means that those beginners that fail the accuracy test are not allowed to become members, thus discouraging beginners from joining the Burnaby Archery Club in the first place. The test is easy for anyone who has had archery lessons to pass, but to those people who have never shot a bow before it would be near impossible.)

But let us pretend for a moment that you live somewhere that doesn't have a local archery range. How do you find a place to practice?

Well, first lets determine where do you live?

#1. Cabin in the woods?

Easy. Make your own archery range in your backyard, facing away from any roads, walking paths, bicycle trails, or rivers/lakes. Because who wants to go swimming to find that arrow you shot poorly?

Note - I recommend making a cardboard archery target like the one shown further below.

#2. Farm?

Easy. Make your own archery range next to the proverbial corn field, again facing away from anything or anyone that could be damaged or hurt, and facing away from anything that could cause you to lose arrows.

#3. Suburbia?

Now we are getting into a tricky area. You will need to check local laws regarding shooting in your backyard, but basically the idea comes down to the issue of "Reckless Endangerment". If you take precautions to do what you are doing safely - in a manner which shows you have shown due diligence to prevent yourself from injuring neighbours or damaging their properties, then you can practice in your backyard. However some cities and towns have by-laws prohibiting the firing of firearms within city limits, often combined with laws against throwing knives, throwing axes, throwing spears, bows, crossbows, etc. Thus it is extremely important you consult local by-laws first, before doing something which you could get you fined or imprisoned.

Note - I am going to rant a bit below. Pay attention and I shall get to my point.

Discus golf courses are dangerous. Getting hit in the head by one of those could cause brain damage and even kill a passerby, and yet they proliferate with little knowledge about the dangers of people sometimes ignoring safety precautions. Discus Golf is a lawsuit waiting to happen and it is mind-boggling that cities have set up these in high traffic parks where people could easily be hurt and killed. A discus, unlike frisbee, are quite heavy and getting hit with one is like being hit with a sling bullet (which killed Goliath according to the whole David and Goliath story). In ancient Greece the discus was used as a weapon of war for killing their enemies, and was known for its unpredictable nature of hitting innocent bystanders.

I would argue therefore that any park that allows Discus Golf has clearly made allowances for the dangers posed by people throwing them around, and thus could easily apply the same principle to archery - which is infinitely more accurate to shoot. Thus it is entirely feasible that it is just a matter of convincing the local town council / city council to install an archery range in a safe location in a local park. After all, if they are allowing people to throw discus around (which are random discs of death), certainly they could allow archery which is way more accurate and less likely to kill bystanders. Everyone knows archery is potentially dangerous. I would argue that the lack of knowledge bystanders have about the dangers of discus makes them much more dangerous.

Last year I got in a heated argument with the organizer of a discus golf tournament who was ignoring various safety rules that had been set in place to make the discus golf course safer. He stated that the event had insurance. I argued that insurance doesn't cover "Reckless Endangerment", which includes prison time. You can have all the insurance you want, but that doesn't cover prison time for not following the safety rules and doing things you know to be reckless.

There you go. Rant over.

Now in light of that, I am going to discourage you from shooting a bow in your backyard. Yes, technically you can do it - if the local laws allow. But what if a local kid sees you shooting in the backyard and thinks it is okay for them to do it too? And then they shoot and accidentally kill their little brother/sister. So yeah, rather than have that guilt on your conscience, just shoot some place safer instead.

I do however have a solution. Shoot inside a garage or an empty basement instead. Clear the space of any breakables, make a target out of stacks of cardboard, don't let random kids or pets walk into the firing range. Good. Feel safe? Yes. Good. Keep it that way.

#4. Condo or Apartment Building?

There is basically no safe place in a condo or apartment building where you can practice archery. It isn't just a matter of other people, it is a matter of damaging the walls / breaking your arrows on hard walls. Even if the building superintendent found you an empty storage room in the basement next to the parking lot, after breaking all your arrows on the concrete walls you would be looking for a place to shoot that doesn't break your arrows so easily.

Which brings us to the topic of college and university archery clubs. Many colleges have archery clubs, and they sometimes allow non students to become members and use their facilities. Even if you are not a student, you might still be able to get access to their facilities by becoming a community member or signing up for a proverbial bird course just so you are technically a student.

eg. Ryerson University in Toronto allows people to get a Ryerson Community Member card which allows you to get a membership at the Ryerson Gyms. Ryerson also operates an archery club. For more details check out their Facebook page.

#5. Anything I Missed?

The following suggestions are basically for all of the above.

• Find other archers and open your own club, which might mean renting a facility so you have a place to practice in.
• Find a store that sells archery equipment that is willing to open an archery range and charge people $10 per hour to use their private range. ($10 per hour is the standard rate for most private archery ranges.) The store could even sell cold drinks to thirsty archers to make even more money and will make oodles off archers who keep buying more archery equipment.
• Find an archery tag facility near you and ask if they have off hours when their facility isn't used for archery tag and whether you can rent it during non-peak times.
• Make once per week trips to an archery range that is further away, but well worth the drive.
• Find a location in the countryside where you can practice (eg. on the family farm of a relative) and visit there once per week. Alternatively you could rent a small space on someone's farm one day per week and make a small archery range there.
• Live near a desert? Good. Deserts a great open spaces where you can have lots of fun doing archery and the land is usually owned by the government.

Actor William Shatner doing Archery in the Desert

1.5 Million Visitors to CardioTrek.ca

A few days ago the total number of visits to CardioTrek.ca surpassed 1.5 million. Not bad for a personal training website that gives away free advice / answers fitness questions, in addition to my personal training / sports training practice.

Most of that 1.5 million is from visitors in Canada / USA, and tiny fractions from other English speaking countries, and non-English speaking countries.

It would be interesting to know how many are actually from Toronto, my home turf. Three years ago in January I found stats on Alexa.com stating that CardioTrek was in the top 5000 websites in Toronto - which was when CardioTrek had merely 25,516 visitors. In contrast in January 2016, exactly three years later we recorded 58,495 visitors.

Numbers are nice, but more importantly is the fact that I am often fully booked 8 months of the year (November to February is the slow time of the year). Booked up so much that I have been raising my rates and cutting back a bit so I can have more free time. So I am obviously doing something right.

I am also frequently asked to appear in television shows. In the past year I appeared on:

CBC's "Marketplace", a piece about eggs / nutrition.

CityTV's "Athlete of the Week", a piece about my archery skills.

OLN's "Storage Wars Canada", during which I was asked to identify and estimate the value of a Bear Grizzly recurve bow (modified by the US-CDN exchange rate at the time).

So yeah, good times. Let the good times roll!

Should be interesting to see where my website / business is 4 years from now. Or 14 years from now.

Wanted - Sports Photographer in Toronto

For the past several years I have been trying to find a good sports photographer (in Toronto no less) with experience doing a variety of different photography styles.

For example:

Motion Capture Photography, like this tennis player in motion, by Jean Yves Lemoigne, who unfortunately lives in New York State. Pity. He is really good at what he does.

The one below of a male gymnast in motion isn't by Jean, but it is also really good.

Time Lapse Photography, which looks similar to Motion Capture but ultimately looks more like a blur. Depending on the length of the Time Lapse, it can be extremely blurry. Below is an example of Time Lapse Photography of cyclists.

Time Lapse Video, sounds similar to Time Lapse Photography above, except it is video in which only a few frames are captured so that when viewed it appears to be sped up so that you are seeing a longer period of time flashing before you in mere seconds. A good example of this is the GoPro videos that cyclists like to make showing their rides sped up, like the one below.



Slow Motion Video, like the video below which shows a variety of archers shooting and their arrows hitting targets in slow motion. Oh, and it is in HD. Huzzah!



Other forms of photography are also welcome, especially if it works well with the theme of sports.

Anywho, if you are a photographer in Toronto and are available for a short gig please contact me via cardiotrek@gmail.com. Send me your hourly rate and three examples of your past work (which may include links to YouTube videos in the event you have past experience doing slow motion or time lapse work).

Also note that I am a firm believer in paying people for work. None of this "it is good for your portfolio" nonsense. If you are doing a job, you deserve to get paid for it. End of story. Everyone has to make a living and artists deserve to be paid like everyone else.

Where to find Archery Camps in Toronto / GTA

Q

Hi

I am looking for an archery day camp for my son who is 11yrs old.  I found your website and it talks about day camps in Toronto by all the link and camp listed are overnight camps up north.

Is it possible to guide me where I can find a day camps in Toronto preferably around Bloor west village, Etobicoke (more west end and south).

If there is  a number I can called to discuss it will be great

Thanks in advance

Dominique

A

Hello Dominique!

Sadly I am unaware of any day camps or summer camps in the Bloor West Village area, or the region south-west of there, that does archery.

There are various day camps and summer camps in other parts of the city that do offer archery however, although they are probably less convenient to get to. ArcheryToronto.ca maintains a list of camps at http://www.archerytoronto.ca/Toronto-Archery-Camps.html

If you do manage to find a camp that is not on that list I recommend contacting ArcheryToronto.ca and letting them know about any other locations in Toronto or the GTA that do archery.

Another option would be for you to look into Boy Scouts of Canada. [Or Girl Guides of Canada for any parents reading this who want their daughter(s) to learn archery and other skills.] Some scout groups also do archery, so that is a possibility as well since your son is the right age for it. I first learned archery in Boy Scouts myself when I was 10, and speaking from personal experience I would say Boy Scouts is an excellent way to learn a variety of other woodcraft skills. The website http://greatertoronto.scouts.ca/ would be a great place to start.

Lastly I know of an instructor in Burlington who teaches kids / teenagers, private lessons only. If you are willing to go in that direction that is also an option.

Have a great summer!

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat
CardioTrek.ca

Note: If any parents are reading this and your kids are over 16 years of age and they are serious about learning archery, private lessons would be their best bet. In that case bring them to me.

The photo above is from Boy Scouts of Canada.

Strange Sports you can do in Toronto

There are many sports a person can do in Toronto, and many which are quite unusual for those people who are seeking something different and exciting to do.

For example: The husband of one of my clients does competitive fencing. He recently won a bronze medal for his age category. He also has an impressive collection of antique swords, sabres, epees, etc. Fencing, Japanese Kendo, Korean Gumdo, Chinese Swordfighting, European Medieval Swordfighting, and even Jedi combat acting (I call it that because it is not real swordfighting) are all available in Toronto.

Also I should note that there is no age barrier to swordfighting. Judging by the photo on the right it doesn't matter how old you are. (They do however seem to have a 66% chance of growing a beard... Hmm. And a 100% chance of looking Awesome!)

So if you are looking to get into fencing or other forms of swordfighting you might consider contacting the following organizations, listed alphabetically:

AEMMA - Academy of European Medieval Martial Arts
The Beaches Sabre Club of Toronto
The Canadian Haidong Gumdo Association
The Dragon Fencing Academy
Fighting Arts Collective Toronto
The Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Kendo Dept.
Kendo Ontario
Metro Blades Fencing Club
My Fencing Club
Ontario Fencing Association
The Ryerson Kendo Club
The Toronto Fencing Academy
The Toronto Fencing Centre
The Toronto Fencing Club
The Toronto Kendo Club 
Toronto Kenjutsu
The University of Toronto Kendo Club

However there are also many other unusual sports in Toronto you might try:

Axe Throwing

The Backyard Axe Throwing League offers axe hurling, performed competitively and for recreation at one of their multiple locations. The sport is growing so fast they have new locations appearing every few months. Axes are thrown at four by four foot wooden targets from 15 feet away, and points are tallied to determine the winner. There is also league play for more competitive people.

Bike Polo or Bicycle Polo

Bike Polo is basically a mix of polo, hockey, and cycling, and it's played in teams on an iceless hockey rink. The BPTO meets as often as four times per week, usually at either Dufferin Grove or Scadding Court shinny rinks. BPTO has a beginner night once a week, with extra mallets on hand to lend out to new players.

Unicycle Hockey

The Toronto Unicycle Club meets regularly in Toronto (usually in the west end) to practice their peddling and often a game of unicycle hockey. The game is usually played with five players on each team and a lack of full body contact for obvious reasons. Always open to new players.

Pillow Fighting (All Girls)

What was once called the Pillow Fight League is now Bedlam Pillow Fighting. The all girl league uses pillows in WWE style combat, with the intention of winning my pinfall or surrender. Professional pillow fighting has an attitude akin to roller derby or amateur wrestling-acting. No men allowed.

List of Archery Clubs in Ontario

Notes

I may update this list over time as I locate more clubs or new clubs are created.

Many private archery ranges also operate small archery clubs in order to promote members.

Many high schools operate small archery clubs that are not listed here.

Many hunting-oriented clubs also do archery, but they are not exclusively archery.

List of Archery Clubs in Ontario

Almonte - Gobble 'n Grunt Archery & Outfitting

Amherstburg - AMA Sportsmen Club

Ancaster - Hamilton Angling & Hunting Association

Astorville - Jim-Bows Archery

Beamsville - Mackies Mountain Archery

Belleville - Quinte Bay Archers

Caledon Village - The Archers of Caledon

Corbeil - Wilderness bowhunters and archery

County Lambton - Lambton-Kent Archers

Markham - The Marksmen Den in Markham

Mississauga - Ontario Centre for Classical Sport

Newmarket - York County Bowmen

Niagara - Archery Niagara

North Bay - North Bay Bowhunters & Archers

Ottawa - Kanata Archery Club

Ottawa - Ottawa Archers

Ottawa - RA Centre Archery Club

Penetanguishene - Huronia Family Archery

Richmond - That Hunting & Fishing Store

Sault Ste. Marie Soo North Archery Club

St.Catharines - St.Catharines Bowmen Archery Club

Sturgeon Falls - West Nipissing Archers

Thamesville - Kent County Bowhunters Assoication

Thunder Bay - Lakehead Archers

Toronto - AEMMA Traditional Archery

Toronto - Hart House Archery Club

Toronto - The Humber Valley Flintknappers Guild

Toronto - Toronto School of Archery

Toronto - The Toronto Archery Club

Toronto - University of Toronto Archery Club

Utopia - Wolfs Den Sporting Supplies

Waterdown - Waterdown Rod and Gun Club

Waterloo - The Bow Shop

Waterloo - University of Waterloo Archery Club

Windsor and Lasalle - Lasalle/Windsor Sportsman Club.

12 Ways to Enjoy Healthy Living while visiting Toronto

Hello Toronto and tourists visiting Toronto!

Here are a list of 12 healthy ways to have fun in Toronto. Enjoy!

#1. Summer? Go swimming at one of Toronto's many Blue Flag rated beaches. Or visit some of the local pools operated by Toronto Parks and Rec. Or better yet, go to Canada's Wonderland and hang out in the Splash Works all day long - swim all day and go on the water slides.

#2. While you are at the beach you can also do exercises, yoga, go jogging, take the dog for a walk - for those people who take their dog on vacation with them! For those who want more competition, have a beach volleyball game.

#3. Autumn? Go hiking. Now is a good time of year to visit one of Ontario's many waterfalls, especially in the Hamilton / Niagara area. Hike to Hilton Falls near Milton, Ontario - take the dog with you and your camera, because the trees at Hilton Falls during the Autumn will be incredibly beautiful. The hike to Hilton Falls from the parking lot is about 20 to 40 minutes depending on what route you take.

#4. Another great thing to do at Hilton Falls is bring your bicycle. The park has lots of bicycle trails you can use. Toronto and the surrounding area has literally hundreds of bicycle trails for you to choose from.

#5. Join a 5K run. Toronto has many marathons, half marathons, 10Ks 5Ks and other running events for amateur runners. During Spring and Summer there are sometimes 15 or more events each month. Consult http://www.runguides.com/toronto/runs to learn more about different events happening in Toronto.

#6. Winter? Lace your skates up and visit one of Toronto's many public ice rinks. My favourite to go to is the rink in front of the Toronto City Hall - I find they use the zamboni more frequently there and it keeps the ice in better condition, and that rink has multiple options nearby for hot beverages.

#7. Archery Lessons - Learn how to shoot properly with an experienced instructor. Contact me to sign up for archery lessons in Toronto. I even teach archery during the Winter, so if you are curious to learn more about Winter Archery Lessons please contact me.

#8. Archery Tag - Shoot arrows at your friends or friendly strangers at an archery tag event. Hint - It helps if you already know how to shoot properly. Visit ArcheryToronto.ca to learn more about archery tag locations in the GTA.

#9. Join a Meetup group for a sporting activity on Meetup.com. Nobody cares if you are not a local, they only care if you show up to the event. eg. http://www.meetup.com/torontosports/ has everything from indoor volleyball, badminton and a range of other activities to do.

#10. Tennis and Golf. Now I personally hate golf - I see it as a sport for people who like to sit in a cart and follow their balls around. But tennis on the other hand takes a lot of energy to do and I respect that. Regardless, Toronto has many tennis clubs and golf clubs to choose from, so if you bring your racket or golf clubs with you on vacation, Toronto has lots of options for you to choose from.

Note - So far I have only been listing exercises for things to do in Toronto. These last two are food based options.

#11. Take a cooking class. BlogTO and Groupon have lists of cooking classes you can choose from, many of which are about healthy cooking, vegan cooking, etc. So while you might not normally think of doing that while on vacation, it is still a fun option to consider. Toronto has literally hundreds of places that teach cooking. I know of one where their primary goal is actually religion and they offer vegan cooking lessons for a donation. That is pretty reasonable when you think about it, so if you don't mind people chanting Hare Krishna that is certainly an interesting option. (Those Hare Krishna people are really huggable and nice.)

#12. Go for a walk and window shop many of Toronto's fine restaurants until you find one that looks both interesting and healthy. Depending on the neighbourhood you are in this is harder than you would think. Some neighbourhoods have only restaurants that serve unhealthy / greasy food. But if you pick a good neighbourhood with lots of options you can not only work up an appetite with your walk, but once you pick a favourite to try you can walk back to that option and see just how good their food really is. If you want to speed up the process the neighbourhoods I recommend are:

East Danforth
Queen West, west of Bathurst
Eglinton West, west of Yonge
Yonge Street, north of Mount Pleasant
Queen Street East, north of Beaches
Toronto's Vegan Village (Bloor Street West, north of High Park, and the surrounding area)
Kensington Market

There are more, but these will get you started. Happy walking and eat healthy!

Toronto Bicycle Trail Challenge

On the right is a true challenge for cyclists of Toronto - One with both ups and downs, and a good chunk of beautiful woodland scenery.

Take the TTC Sheppard subway line to get to your starting location. North of Highway 401, ride the bikeway through East Don Parkland, then south to Edwards Gardens. Use the Toronto Cycling Map to guide you down the Don Valley all the way to the lakeshore and then take the subway at Union Station to get home.

The route is available on Google Maps: Don Valley Bicycle Trail.

Ride Route Notes

• Exit at the east end of the Sheppard subway station.
• Cross the crosswalk north, on the west side of Leslie and Sheppard – the gateway to the Don River Trail can’t be missed.
• If you don’t want to go north, look for the bikeway down the valley at the south west corner of the intersection.
• At the top of East Don Parkland, turn around, or follow the Toronto Bike Map to Bike Route 51 south – it will take you through some classic Toronto highrise and bungalow neighbourhoods, and near Toronto’s richest neighbourhood "Bridle Path".
• Food and drink – and a rest – can be had when you reach York Mills Road.
• The route will then take you through an industrial park with some surprisingly significant architecture, past Edward Gardens (find the trail access along the south side of the parking lot), and back down into the Don Valley.
• It’s all downhill from there… literally, as you cycle south to the lakeshore and west downtown. Follow the Bikes and Transit maps for a ride through the Distillery District and The Esplanade – or stay on the Waterfront Trail west and come up to Union Station at Yonge St.

8 Ideas for Adrenaline High Weight Loss

Adrenaline Highs are powerful and can be used to boost energy levels / burn calories in an effort to lose weight. But attaining that adrenaline high while exercising can be tricky. So here are 10 ways to possibly attain an adrenaline high by doing something exciting.

Please note that all of the activities listed below are things you can do in Toronto. If it isn't possible to do it in Toronto, I am not listing it.

#1. Axe Throwing

Honestly, this is a really good sport for getting rid of some calories and get rid of some of your aggressive feelings while you are at it too.

In Toronto there are several locations that can help you if you want to try axe throwing:

BATL Axe Throwing | The Home of Axe Throwing
batlgrounds.com

Bad Axe Throwing | Where Axe Throwing Lives
https://badaxethrowing.com

Please note that I have no affiliation with either of these companies. I cannot speak to the quality of their service or safety standards.

#2. Mountain Biking

To do this you will need a mountain bike - preferably a good one, so don't go to any Canadian Tire or a store that doesn't specialize in mountain bikes. Instead go to a store that actually specializes in mountain bikes.

Below is a list of the Top 10 Mountain Bike Stores in Toronto, listed alphabetically:

Broadway Cycle / The Bike Depot
Cyclemotive
Cycle Solutions
D'Ornellas
Dukes Cycle
Gears
Liberty Street Cyclery
Silent Sports
Sporting Life Bikes
Sweet Pete's

#3. Rock Climbing Indoors

With safety harnesses you might not feel that this is too dangerous, but with a healthy fear of heights you will still get a shot of adrenaline. Below is a list of indoor rock climbing gyms in Toronto:

The Rock Oasis
Boulderz Climbing Centre
Joe Rockhead's Indoor Rock Climbing
Toronto Climbing Academy
True North Climbing Inc.

#4. Dancing + Music!

Combine music with dance, and regardless of whether you do this at home or at a dance studio, or at a dance club you can get that extra boost of adrenaline.

#5. LARPing (Live Action Roleplaying)

Okay, hanging out with nerds who fight with sponge swords may sound like over-the-top geek to you, but running around with swords is surprisingly good exercise and really burns a lot of calories in a hurry. There are numerous locations / organizations in the GTA that have LARPing events, usually on weekends. Pick one and get involved.

#6. Archery Tag

Similar to LARPing, Archery Tag offers teenagers and people in their 20s / 30s a chance to run around and shoot their friends with foam tipped arrows. Toronto has multiple locations that offer archery tag. The location I recommend is Battle Sports in North York. See http://battlesports.ca/

#7. Play Zombie Tag

Hire a makeup artist (or a friend who is awesome with makeup) for a day, invite lots of friends to a large park, and then run around and bite your friends. [No actual inviting involved, instead you are supposed to "hug" them without tackling them.]

Toronto also has lots of zombie survivalist groups, the Toronto Zombie Walk, and other events / organizations you can join to meet more people who are interested in zombies.

#8. Parkour and/or Freerunning

Last but not least, Toronto also has various organizations (clubs, schools, etc) devoted to the arts of parkour and freerunning. You can basically just pick one and get into the sport of running, jumping, hurdling over obstacles.

I was hoping to find several locations, but the following was the only one I could find that has its own website.

The Monkeyvault
themonkeyvault.com

10 Exercises to do with your Pets this Summer in Toronto

#1. Take your dog jogging!

#2. Take your dog to the beach - go swimming and play frisbee!

#3. Doggie Weightlifting - this is you lifting your dog up in an affectionate manner and rubbing their belly, then setting them back down, and repeat. You dog will think it is a game.

#4. Take your dog cycling in High Park.

#5. Join a Meetup Group for people who enjoy dog-related activities. Learn more by browsing the different meetup groups for Toronto dog owners.

#6. Competitive Dog Jogging. (Yes, that is a real thing.)

#7. Mountain Hiking with your Dog.

#8. Canoeing or Kayaking with your Dog. (Get your dog a special canine life jacket.)

#9. Dog and Owner Hurdles.

#10. Play a Classic Game of Fetch with your Dog. (Even more fun with water.)

BONUS

Dog Yoga in the Park

Do you have to be super fit to get the benefits of cycling?

Spring is almost here and it is time to get the old bicycle out!

Over 13.5 million Canadians commuted to work in 2011*. Many of them drove cars to work.

* Statistics marked with an Asterisk are from Statistics Canada.

According to Statistics Canada, they took various forms of transportation including cars, public transit, ferries and bicycles. Public transit users are made up of about 12% of the population which jumped up 1% from the 2006 census when it was 11% of the Canadian population.

Cycling accounts for just over 200,000 commuters in Canada. Victoria, B.C. has the most cyclists of all the major cities in Canada. Clearly Canadians are increasingly warming up to the idea of cycling as an alternative to driving to work. And why shouldn't they, there is documented evidence that cycling can improve your physical health, your mental health as well as helping the environment and providing a relatively cheap and easy way to get to work.

Given all the benefits it makes you wonder if out-of-shape people would be more likely to cycle to work if they were physically fit?

After all, it stands to reason people who are out-of-shape and not proud of their bodies might be loathe to bicycle to work if they feel they are not physically up to the challenge. It thus becomes a bit of a Catch-22 that if a person is overweight, how can they lose weight via bicycling if they feel defeated before they have even started.

First, let's see what cycling in Toronto looks like on a statistical level. There has been a small increase in cycling in Toronto over a 10 year period (1999 to 2009) of about 6% of Torontonians who commute to work via bicycle. Particularly from 2001 to 2006, the number of Torontonians cycling to work increased by 30%. The biggest increase was in female riders and the demographic that increased the most was female riders aged 45 - 54 and male riders aged 55 - 64. This demographic might be due to a higher number of middle-aged / older Torontonians getting into cycling for its health benefits - possibly with other unknown factors contributing to the rise.

Though cycling is on the rise in Toronto, the city still lags behind all major cities in Canada. 1.2% of commuters in Toronto cycled to work in 2011*. When compared to Victoria's 5.6% of commuters who bicycle to work, Toronto's 1.2% seems tiny in comparison. Clearly Toronto has lots of work to do if Toronto is to become a more bicycle friendly city.

Granted Victoria only has a population of 78,000 people (2006 census) while Toronto has 2.5 million. So Toronto has 30,000 cyclists who commute to work to Victoria's approx. 4,368 cyclists who commute to work.

Next, let's find out what kinds of health benefits we can experience with cycling.

Cycling can improve your general health and fitness, everyone know that, but lets take a moment to bust a myth about pollution inhalation. Cycling to work reduces the amount of pollution you intake on your commute. Contrary to popular belief, cyclists inhale less pollution than motorists do. You would think it would be the opposite, but according to 'An Overview of Cycling Research', a document compiled by Dr. Chris Cavacuiti which examines a plethora of studies on the topic, cyclists inhale less pollution than motorists do. So even though motorists are in the "safety" of the cars, they still inhale more fine and ultrafine particulate matter than cyclists do - possible because motorists are often stuck in traffic for longer periods of time, and they may also be inhaling fumes from their own vehicle. The exact cause of why motorists inhale more pollution has not been determined as of yet, but what is known is that they are definitely inhaling more of it.

On the exercise level studies have shown that active transportation - exercise that is part of the daily routine of getting to work as opposed to exercise that is structured activity (i.e. going to the gym) is more sustainable over time. This means people get into the routine of bicycling to work and this routine becomes customary, whereas people who visit the gym sometimes lose focus and stop going to the gym.

Many gym-goers also use stationary bicycles while at the gym, but the health benefits of cycling inside an air conditioned gym vs cycling in the great outdoors isn't so much a matter of which is better from a health perspective, but which is better for people to stay motivated to keep doing it. Cyclists who cycle outdoors report that they love cycling and would never willingly give it up. Gym goers on stationary bicycles are more ambivalent on the topic and report becoming "bored easily".

Mental health can be improved by cycling as well. A meta-analysis discovered that exercise can be used as a treatment for depression. Exercise can also contribute to reducing the risk of sleep disorders and eating disorders. There are other benefits to cycling including increased sense of community, decreased congestion, and reducing the effects of Alzheimer's and dementia.

Cycling is also a great way to build endurance - which has a variety of side benefits for many other activities (including activities in bed).

There are many benefits to cycling but unfortunately there are also risks. The risks include death and injuries and such incidents are reported in the news media. However fatality rates for cyclists are much lower in Canada than pedestrians and drivers/passengers. So you are more likely to get hit by a car and killed while walking across the street than you are to be killed while cycling.

Over a 20 year period between 1988 and 2008 fatality rates have decreased in general for cyclists. Overall, when taking a risk benefit analysis on cycling, most people find that the benefits greatly outweigh the risks by 20 to 1.

So do you need to have a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger circa 1985 to start cycling or bicycle to work? Obviously not. You certainly do not need to be Arnold to start to get the benefits of cycling. The best thing to do is to just start - and if it is possible to bicycle to work where you live, why not do so? Of course it may be hard at first, your lungs will burn and so will your thighs, but keep at it and it will get easier over time.

Before long you will be reaping the health benefits of cycling and you will be wishing you had started cycling to work sooner.

Indoor Archery Ranges in Toronto

Q

"Is there any indoor archery ranges in Toronto?"

A

This is a frequently asked question. The answer is "Yes, there are, but it is complicated and difficult to get into them."

The reason why it is complicated/difficult is because of the following reasons.

#1. The Hart House Archery Range (University of Toronto) is full. No new members allowed except for 1 day during Frosh Week in September each year and 1 day at the start of January each year. So unless you are an U of T student or alumni, don't bother.

#2. The Ryerson Archery Club is also full. The club is brand new as of Jan. 2015, and they're already full. Ryerson students come first of course, but even so the club is officially full. So unless you are a Ryerson student and willing to wait until September maybe then they will allow in new members.

#3. Casa Loma used to have an archery range and taught longbow lessons once upon a time, but they have since shut it down due to liability concerns. So you are not going to find any help there.

#4. The Toronto School of Archery has 3 locations in Etobicoke (only on Mondays and Thursdays), East York (only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and Beaches (which is full and not accepting new members). The "ranges" are in the basement of a church, a community centre, etc, and only operate between 6 PM and 9 PM. Which severely limits your options if you are busy on weekday evenings.

#5. The JCCC (Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre) does have a gym they use as an archery range - but it is only for people who sign up to study Kyudo (Japanese archery using yumi bows). Kyudo is highly ceremonial and is basically the archery equivalent of Japanese tea ceremony. So unless you are a patient type of person who loves all things zen then you are probably not going to enjoy Kyudo.

#6. Archery District is not a real archery range but I am listing it anyway. It is a facility for people into Archery Tag™, and costs $24 + HST per person for 1 hour of usage. You use the bows and equipment provided and no outside equipment is allowed. During that hour you play with up to 20 people games of Archery Tag™, wherein you shoot each other with boffer arrows. I have been to Archery District twice myself so far and it is a lot of fun, but for people who enjoy accuracy, shooting long distances, just want to practice then you need to find a different place to practice. So unless you want to practice shooting at moving targets you need to find a different place to practice.

#7. Archery Camps / Day Camps is another option if you are looking for a place for your kids to practice. There are a number of day camps and archery camps in or near Toronto which offer archery (either indoor or outdoors). ArcheryToronto.ca maintains a list of archery camps and day camps. However unless you are a kid in the right age group this isn't going to help you.

"So where can I practice indoors then?"

After reading all of the above you are probably feeling a bit disheartened and wondering if you will ever be able to find an indoor archery range in Toronto that is open 7 days per week, is indoors, and will let in anyone as a member.

But do not despair I am working on just that.

For the past year almost I have been building a Waiting List for an Indoor Archery Range - which I am tentatively calling Toronto's Indoor Archery Gymnasium (TIAG). To get on the waiting list please email cardiotrek@gmail.com and give your name, email address, phone number and whether you want a monthly or annual membership.

This indoor archery range will be located in the Leaside / Davisville area of Toronto and work on a gym membership basis. Monthly membership will be $100 and annual membership will be $800. Once the Toronto's Indoor Archery Gymnasium is up and running smoothly the rates will come down, but at present the only way to make such an indoor archery range financially viable is to charge the rates mentioned above in order to get a space large enough for multiple shooting lanes.

So far 30 people have signed up for the Waiting List, but we need 50 people to sign up in order to open an indoor range. 50 people x $800 = $40,000. That is how much we need to lease, renovate, and maintain a space, and as the membership grows each year we will lower the annual rates in order to encourage more members to sign up for the annual membership.

Range hours will likely be:
Sunday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

The range will also be hiring staff to supervise the range + archery instructors - people who have experience teaching longbows, recurves (traditional and Olympic), compound bows and shortbows / horsebows.

The range will be designed to be friendly to hunters, competitive shooters and recreational archers. Everyone will be welcome. The photos shown on this page are photos showing how other archery ranges are designed. The Toronto Indoor Archery Gymnasium will be designed using a mixture of styles. We will also be making an effort to make sure the space is wheel chair accessible (several of the other ranges mentioned above are not wheel chair accessible).

"What if I am looking for a crossbow range in Toronto?

Lastly the Toronto's Indoor Archery Gymnasium will include space for people who are into crossbows - making it the only crossbow range in Toronto. So if you are looking for a crossbow range in Toronto, please email cardiotrek@gmail.com to add your name to the Waiting List.

8 Fun Exercises you can do in Toronto during the Autumn

Hey Toronto! Happy Autumn Equinox! It is September 21st and Fall is officially here.

Want something fun to do in the city for exercise? Well here is a list of 8 things you can do.

#1. Go Cycling on one or more of Toronto's cycling trails.

#2. Visit Toronto Island and go for a walk. Take the dog with you.

#3. Explore some of Toronto's many scenic parks.

#4. Sign up for a Yoga Boot Camp or similar exercise activity at one of Toronto's Recreational Centres.

#5. Go Kayaking or Canoeing on one of Toronto's rivers.

#6. Join a fitness oriented meetup group - there are many to choose from. eg. The Toronto Archery Club.

#7. Train for a local marathon in Toronto (Toronto has several different marathons and a number of marathon-like events every year).

#8. Take your horse for a swim. Okay, this last one is a joke. But you could still go swimming in one of Toronto's indoor pools which are open all year long. Or you could take up horseback riding. Both are good exercise.