Good Riddance 2020!

 What a horrible year 2020 has been!

I hope 2021 is better. There is certainly the chance it could be worse... COVID could just be the tip of the iceberg in terms of craziness happening in 2021...

Have a Hopeful and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas 2020!

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, we wish you a safe and joyous holiday season.

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat & Family
CardioTrek.ca

PS. And a Happy New Year in 2021!






And for your amusement:

Easy Ways to Exercise in Front of Your Screen

Whether you’re someone who uses phone apps to simplify your schedule, a parent who juggles tablet time with your kids, or newly working-from-home, modern life has much of our daily life centered around a computer screen. Finding ways to stay active while at home can be hard but with the right posture and practices getting that exercise at home is easier than you think. In fact, the best adjustments you can make will be while sitting right in front of your screen!

Remember to always consult your doctor before introducing any new exercises to your routine or if you’re experiencing any pain or discomfort. All of the exercises and recommendations mentioned here should be low-effort and easy to modify, so you shouldn’t experience any pain while performing them. If you do, stop immediately and seek the opinion of a medical professional.

Proper Posture

First things first, consider how you’re sitting right now. If you’re sitting at a desk, how’s your posture? Are your shoulders rolled forward or are they situated over your hips? Is your back hunched or are you sitting up straight? If you’re using your phone and standing or sitting in a recliner, is your neck crooked or are you giving it enough support?

These kinds of positions can cause tension to accumulate in your body throughout the day, especially if you spend long hours sitting in one spot. Take short breaks every hour or so to think about how you’re positioned and do some of these quick exercises to give your muscles a break and reset your posture.

Neck and Shoulders

Stretching your neck and shoulder muscles will help relieve tension that can cause headaches. Start by very gently dropping your chin down and rolling your head from shoulder to shoulder, keeping your chin against your chest. Try and keep your shoulders relaxed and down while you do this. Don’t over-extend or roll your head past the half-circle of your shoulders otherwise, you could put too much strain on your cervical spine.

Sit up straight and shrug your shoulders up and down, extending the top of your shoulders straight up towards your ears. Pull your shoulder blades together behind your back before relaxing them again.

Eyes

Your eyes are a muscle just like your neck and your shoulders, so make sure to give them a stretch when you take a break too. Spend time focusing on something other than a screen for at least five minutes every hour. Try focusing your eyes together, first to the left and then the right. Then up and down, and finally in a clockwise circle and then a counterclockwise circle.

Wrists

When you think about posture your hands might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it’s important to remember to stretch your wrists too if you use the computer a lot. Loosen your wrists and shake your hands out very lightly to release the tension. Raise your arms, lifting your hands so your palms are facing each other, and gently press your palms together. Press and release several times to give your wrists a light stretch.

Picking up the Pace

Stretching and maintaining posture will help with long-term wellness, but you can also get your heart rate going in front of your desk or while sitting on the couch. Taking cardio breaks will keep your blood circulating and the exercise could even help with productivity. The best part is you can do most of these while waiting for a screen to load, listening in on a conference call, or even while watching a favourite movie again and again.

Seated Exercise

While sitting upright, lift one leg until it is parallel with the floor and hold it for ten seconds before gently lowering it back down. Then do the same with the other leg. You can increase the number of repetitions as you build your strength, and if you need a challenge you can even add an ankle weight or loop a bag on your foot for some added heft.

Doing this same exercise but with no weights, a bent knee, and a little extra speed will help get your heart rate going. Make sure to keep your spine straight so you’re targeting your abdominal and leg muscles and not straining your back.

Standing Exercise

Using the edge of a desk or the back of a chair (not a rolling one!) to brace yourself, you can do a standing push-up to give your upper body a workout. Put your arms about shoulder-width apart and move your feet back until you’re at an incline, palms firmly on the desk. Breathe out and gently lower yourself as far as you can towards the desk before pushing yourself back up. Don’t lock your elbows or lower yourself further than is comfortable--you don’t want any unnecessary strain on your joints.

The “invisible” jump rope is a great low-impact cardio exercise since all you’ll need is yourself and a small space to be able to run in place. Imagine that you’re holding a jump rope--yes, this is also a thought exercise--and skip rope. It’s that simple. Try alternating footwork, jumping on only your left or only your right foot, or changing your pace. However you do it, it’ll get you up and out of your chair and you don’t have to worry about accidentally flinging a jump rope at your computer.

The Extras

Some gadgets that can encourage you to be active in front of your screen and that may genuinely help, like standing desks, pedal machines, and yoga balls. But before you throw money at a solution you’re not sure you’ll like, try making some of these simple adjustments first. The hardest part of starting a routine is making something a habit, so the most important thing to do is stick to it. You don’t have to do it perfectly every time, you just have to do it.

 

 

Where to Buy Bows Online

Q

"Hey fellow archer! I saw your post and was wondering if you had any advice. I'm looking to get a new recurve but not sure where to buy them. Do you know any good online places or do you get them in person? 

I'm looking to replace my 60" recurve. I got two of mine from an antique store and one is still going but barely.  I ordered a horsebow for my wife but I really want something closer to what I saw in your post.  Not a huge fan of take downs.  Sorry, I don't know a lot of archers I can ask."

Jarin H.

A

I usually buy my bows in person from stores in Toronto, but I also buy vintage bows off eBay.

• Basically Bows Archery
• Canada Archery Online
  

Both of those locations accept online orders.

Buying vintage bows on eBay is trickier because you're taking a risk, but you can mitigate the risks by only looking at bows where they have 12 to 20 photos of the bow from every angle so you know if the bow has any damage.

I would NEVER buy an eBay bow if it has very few photos of it (or the photos are of low quality) and you cannot tell if the bow limbs are straight / undamaged.

I also sometimes buy archery equipment (but never bows) off of Amazon. The problem with Amazon is I don't exactly trust the third party sellers on Amazon, whereas with eBay I know that I am deliberately buying a vintage bow and that it is used, and it comes with the territory. Amazon in contrast doesn't sell used/vintage bows.

Other websites to consider:

• 3riversarchery.com
• lancasterarchery.com
  

I have browsed those websites many times, but never actually ordered from them. Given the choices I usually buy locally as much as possible. Due to COVID/Coronavirus I get that many people these days might prefer to order online, but it is important to note that both Basically Bows Archery and Canada Archery Online do accept online orders. (BBA basically ONLY accepts online orders and pickups currently. The owner Gary doesn't allow people to come in the store and browse any more.)

So it is still possible to shop locally and order online.

Happy Shooting!

Sincerely,
Charles Moffat
CardioTrek.ca

Below is a circa 1974 Shakespeare Sierra Model X18 which I recently shot on November 7th.

I got the vintage recurve bow for xmas in 2018, but it sat on the shelf for almost 2 years because I kept delaying getting a new bowstring for it. I finally got a new fleming twist bowstring and a new arrow rest (from CAO) for it recently and took it to the range to do some shooting. Despite being a vintage bow it shoots beautifully, and it looks like it is practically brand new.

 

 

Xmas 2018

Fun Halloween Archery Ideas that won't make a Mess

 Every year some silly person brings a pumpkin to the archery range, makes a mess shooting at the pumpkin, and then leaves their stinky mess behind.

Also they make a huge mess on their arrows and then have to clean their arrows with rubbing alcohol, otherwise their arrows will smell like rotting pumpkins.

There is a better however!

And it is reasonably frugal...

#1. Halloween Skull from the Dollar Store

Your local dollar store sells a wide variety of Halloween items which makes for a fun (and less messy) archery target. It doesn't have to be a skull, but that is certainly an option. It could even be a glow in the dark skeleton suitable for night shooting.

#2. Zombie Archery Target

Sometimes your local archery stores sell a variety of zombie themed archery targets. Below is a zombie pizza man. They're pretty inexpensive too.

#3. Old Halloween Decorations

Chances are likely you have some old Halloween decorations you should throw out. But before you throw them out, why not reuse them as an archery target?

#4. Halloween Archery Target

Print out the following Halloween Archery Target using your printer or take it to Staples / Kinkos to print out a larger poster.

Or make/decorate your own archery target.