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Toronto Archery Lessons as a Xmas Gift

This Christmas a lot of people have pre-ordered archery lessons for Spring 2014 and Summer 2014 for their friends, girlfriends/boyfriends, wives/husbands, children, nieces/nephews.

While the reason for the sudden bump in archery lessons is likely due to the 2nd Hunger Games film I have to also wonder if it is because Canadians are also taking a stronger interest in sports education and health education.

With decades of school cutbacks to physical education programs in schools, reduced numbers of children taking part in team sports like hockey, soccer, baseball - and Canada's dramatically increased obesity rate since the 1990s - it is therefore quite interesting to see the sudden surge of interest in a non-team sport like archery.

Not since the 1950s has archery seen such a surge in popularity - and that was largely the work of great archers like Howard Hill and Fred Bear who made numerous films promoting the sport of archery.

Many of films made by Howard Hill and Fred Bear can still be watched on YouTube. The clip below for example focuses on Fred Bear's career of making hunting films - I know hunting is not for everyone - but it gives you an insight into the type of things Howard Hill and Fred Bear were doing back in the 1950s.


But there are also Hollywood films from the 1950s starring actors like Burt Lancaster in films like "The Flame and the Arrow" and similar films with a heavy theme of archery.

Archery clubs in the 1950s were a big thing - they were social gatherings, places to meet people and hang out while doing an activity that everyone shared. It is much the same now too, as new archery clubs are springing up all over North America - and also locally here in Toronto.

Including the recently created (December 2013) archery group on Facebook, The Canadian Toxophilite Society. A toxophilite is an archery aficionado.

During the 1950s the renewed interest in archery lasted until the 1970s.

So evidently archery is going to be enjoying renewed popularity for decades to come - thus people who are new to the sport of archery will likely be part of the renewed interest in archery until 2030 - or even a lifelong commitment to the sport.

Speaking for myself I first tried archery in 1989 and I have loved it ever since.

Ice Storm Exercises in Toronto

Hello fellow Torontonians!

Wow that was quite the ice storm last night. Here is some exercise and safety tips for things for you to do today!!! Stay safe and don't drive today.

#1. Clear the ice off your car.

#2. Clear the ice off your driveway.

#3. Clear the broken ice covered branches off your lawn and streets near your home.

#4. Avoid downed power lines. Leave those to repair crews.

#5. Watch out for falling ice. Avoid walking under large trees that have lots of ice covered branches on them that are creaking under the weight.

#6. Walk to the local hardware store for supplies. Don't drive! The roads are too icy!

#7. Walk to the homes of elderly neighbours and see if they need anything. Be helpful!

#8. Clear the sidewalk of ice.

#9. Take the dog for a walk and take photos of the ice storm wreckage.

#10. Dress with lots of layers with warm gloves, hats and more!




8 Christmas Day Exercises for the Whole Family

Looking for something fun to do on Christmas Day that is also exercise for the whole family?

#1. Go for a walk in the neighbourhood and go carolling. Find some Christmas songs online, print them out for the kids, take candles with you - and take a walk around your neighbourhood and visit all the neighbours you know and like (and even a few you don't like). With any luck other neighbours might join in!

#2. Take a Winter Hike - If the weather is reasonably tolerable, pack up the whole family, get lots of warm clothes on, and head somewhere hike-able and scenic. It doesn’t have to be a mountain - maybe just a hill or a neighbourhood with lots of pretty Christmas lights on houses. Getting outside and getting some fresh air will feel good. Remember how endorphins make people happy? Go out and get some endorphins!

#3. Ice Skating - Many ice rinks are open to the public on Christmas Eve and / or Christmas Day. You will need your own ice skates (or find a rink that rents ice skates).

#4. Snow Ball Fight - Remember no throwing ice at each other, that could hurt. But throwing packing snow or fluffy snow at each other, perfectly fine. Just don't forget to dodge and run around things to protect yourself from flying snowballs.


#5. Build a Snowman, the BIGGEST one you can! Rolling giant snowballs is hard, but it makes for great exercise.

#6. Skiing / Snowboarding - Whether you go cross country skiing, downhill skiing, or snowboarding you will get a good workout. If you have small kids stick to the smaller hills / easier routes.

#7. Go Sledding - Dragging a sled up a hill again and again is great cardio, and the ride back down is certain to be fun!

#8. Build a Snowfort - Like building a snowman, building a snowfort can be a fun challenge for the whole family. Be certain to build it in a safe manner so if you have small children that there aren't any pieces that could fall on them. You can even decorate your snowfort using food colouring!

15 Health Benefits of Dancing

Dancing encourages freedom of expression and you don't need a lot of motivation to do it.

Dancing is a great cardiovascular activity.

Dancing is fantastic for weight loss.

Dancing is easy on joints and ligaments.

Dancing builds strength.

Dancing improves endurance.

Dancing improves co-ordination and reflexes.

Dancing improves posture.



Dancing supplements other physical activity and is great for cross training.

Dancing is great for social events (parties, weddings).

Dancing improves self esteem and body image.

Dancing helps you get a good night's sleep.

Dancing lowers the amount of toxins in your body.

Dancing helps to bring a shy person "out of his/her shell".

Dancing prevents / reduces Alzheimer's disease.

BONUS!

Dancing is FUN for the whole family!

Understanding Weight Fluctuations

When it comes to dieting and exercising a person's weight is going to fluctuate dramatically from day to day. Weight fluctuations can be frustrating if you don't understand why it is happening, and why you sometimes seem to be going in the opposite direction.

A common myth is that exercise always equals weight loss. Except it is not always true. Often exercise equals muscle gain, which means weight gain. You might also be losing fat too, but it will be confusing as to how much muscle you are gaining and fat you are losing.

During a strict diet where a person is consuming less calories than their needs but still using the same amount of calories for their daily activities you will see constant weight loss as the body consumes fat stores to make up the difference. (During such a diet it is recommended they eat a fair bit of lean protein and supplement their diet with weightlifting in order to maintain muscle tone.)

During a less strict diet wherein a person doesn't know how many calories they are consuming then they might sometimes be eating more than they actually need and see combinations of weight loss on some days and weight gain on other days.

Note - Remember to weigh yourself in the morning before breakfast to get more accurate results. If you eat a meal, especially a large meal, weight measurements will give you an inaccurate glimpse of your true weight.

Large meals, extra water retention, binge eating are some of the biggest contributors to weight fluctuations, but there are other factors as well such as:

#1. Muscle Gain - Muscle weighs more than fat so even a little muscle gain can result in overall weight gain. This frequently happens when people are exercising, as people often gain muscle faster than they lose fat due to a combination of factors. Learn more by reading How Fast Can You Grow Muscle?

#2. Muscle Loss - It is common for people on fad diets to also lose muscle due to a lack of protein, vitamins and minerals in their diet. This can create a false sense of fat loss because your scales don't know whether you are losing muscle or losing fat. Often people gain the weight back after they quit the diet because their muscle weight can regrow at a faster weight due to muscle memory. See also Two Alternative Models for Predicting Muscle Growth.

#3. Inaccurate Scales - We've all done it at some point. We stepped on the scales and got a reading that was hugely inaccurate. To remedy this step off the scales and step on again to see if it gives the same results twice. You may need to double check 3 or 4 times to get a truly accurate reading. Electronic scales often need to recalibrate if they have been stored sideways, haven't been used for a long time, etc. Thus you need to give it some time to recalibrate.

Personal Note: I have to this myself often because I store my electronic scale sideways so whenever I plop it on the floor to check my weight I have to first wait for it to recalibrate by stepping on and off it a couple times and then finally getting an accurate reading.

Another possibility is that you have an old set of scales that uses a tension spring to measure weight, and the spring is old and worn out (and losing tension). Best option is to recycle it and buy a new set of scales.

If you have access to an old fashioned scale like the one below then absolutely use it. That is the kind of scale used by doctors because they are the most accurate.


#4. Too Much Salt / Sodium - Eating too much salt / sodium causes your body to retain more water and also more fat. Simply cutting all your salty foods from your diet can cause a sudden shift towards weight loss and fat loss. Eat more veggies and less salty foods and you can see a dramatic change. A constant over abundance of salty foods will cause your body to store more fat on a daily basis.

#5. Constipation - Nothing a quick laxative wouldn't fix. Otherwise try eating more foods that are high in fibre. Having a good bowel movement on a daily basis is definitely a good thing. Try to weigh yourself AFTER you've had a bowel movement and before you eat breakfast.

#6. Hormonal Changes - Women and men both suffer from monthly hormonal changes that can cause their weight to fluctuate. Hormonal levels can even be effected by your mood, as feelings of depression cause various hormones to be released which causes weight gain. In contrast feelings of happiness and contentment cause hormones which induce weight loss.

HANDY TIPS FOR COUNTERING NEGATIVE WEIGHT FLUCTUATIONS

#1. Don't weigh yourself every day. Instead pick a day (eg. Tuesday) and always weigh yourself on that day after your morning bowel movement and before breakfast.

#2. Keep track of your weight fluctuations from week to week by tracking them on a piece of paper that you keep near your scales.

#3. Avoid large meals, parties where you might overeat, binge eating, etc the day before you weigh yourself. Also avoid salty foods, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, sugary treats and anything else you know is bad for you.

#4. Drink more water to bring your sodium levels down. Water also helps remove contaminants in your system from toxins, as water acts a natural detoxifier. Other natural detoxifiers include lemon juice, green tea, broccoli (although many other vegetables also work wonders), dandelion tea, fresh cranberry juice. Learn more about lowering your toxin levels.

ALTERNATIVES TO WEIGHING YOURSELF

A better way to judge your true weight is to look at how well your clothes fit. If your clothes feel roomier or baggier, then you've lost weight.

If possible try to also get monthly measurements of your body fat. This will give you a percentage of your total weight which is fat and a better idea of whether you are losing or gaining based on the percentage.

Try using fat calipers.

An old fashioned route is to use a tape measure. The tape measure will be less accurate around your middle (as you might gain muscle there if you are doing abdominal exercises) so I recommend also measuring your hips (as your body often stores fat in your buttocks instead) and keeping track of both your waist and hips measurements.
Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!

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