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Jogging 30 Day Challenge: What Happened?

You may recall that earlier this year I embarked upon a "Jogging 30 Day Challenge" and then it suddenly stopped?

Well, I was about 20 days into it and injured my foot. I am not even certain HOW I injured my foot. I woke up one morning and my right foot was suddenly in a lot of pain, similar to a "Charley Horse" in terms of the amount of pain I was in.

But unlike a Charley Horse / foot cramps, it didn't go away after a few minutes.

It took months for my foot to start feeling like normal again, and even now I sometimes experience pain in my right foot.

So that's why my "Jogging 30 Day Challenge" ended unexpectedly.

I am hopeful to resume jogging sometime, but in the meantime I want to be fully healed before I do so.

I don't recommend anyone jogging when you have a sports injury in your feet or legs. Same with any other sports injury. If you have an injury it is your body telling you it is time to take a break.




Archery Student Pierces String on Moving Target

 

Above is a photo of one of my archery students after she successfully pierced the string on a moving target. It was her 6th lesson.

I usually start teaching how to shoot at moving targets on the 4th lesson or later, but actually splitting or piercing the string on a moving target is very rare. More rare than "Robin Hooding an arrow", which is when you pierce your own arrow in the end of the nock.

How to make a Moving Target

I find one of the easiest ways to make a moving target is to use an empty water bottle and dangle it from a string. The water bottle blows in the wind fairly easily, but not so easily that it is impossible to hit if you're good at it.

When dangling the bottle from the string you want to offset it from the target. A broken arrow or a stick inserted into the target works well. If you do not offset the moving target then it will rub against the target and the friction will reduce how much the bottle moves about.

How to make it easier...

If you want less of a challenge you also use a larger bottle. Eg. A 2 liter Coca-Cola bottle is a great size if you want something less challenging. If you want to make it even easier pick a day to shoot when there is very little wind.

How to make it harder...

Cut the bottle in half. Or only use just the bottle cap. The moving bottle cap makes for a very difficult target to hit. If you want to make it even harder try to do it on a windy day.

But not impossible.

I did it twice in one day (back in 2015) when I brought a tripod and a camera to the archery range. The first time however the camera stopped recording so I didn't actually manage to record it. The second time however the camera did record it properly. Thankfully it wasn't too windy that day.

Anyone wishing to book archery lessons in Toronto for 2022 should feel free to contact me. Better to contact me sooner to start booking your lessons.

 


5 Tips for Gaining Muscle Mass Faster

As a bodybuilder or a keen gym-goer, you'll know that there are plenty of things you can do to gain muscle mass. However, if you are looking to gain muscle fast, this is where it becomes difficult. Since muscle growth is naturally a slower process than fat gain, you'll need to make some specific changes to your diet and training routine. If you want to gain muscle mass fast, here are some tips you can use.

Start from a Low Body Fat Level

Experts suggest that starting your muscle-building journey from a lean state will help you to maximize results. For men, you want to be at 10% body fat or lower, and for women, you should be at 16% or less. If your body fat percentage is any higher than this and you start to try and build muscle mass by consuming more calories, you are simply feeding a metabolism that is increasing body fat stores. Instead, the leaner you are, the more likely it is that your body will use these calories for training, muscle growth, and recovery. This leads us to our next point.

Add More Calories Gradually

As you probably already know, gaining muscle requires consuming more calories than you burn off. Since you need to be in a calorie deficit for losing weight, the opposite is true for bulking up. However, there is a delicate balance you need to reach when it comes to increasing your caloric intake. Too much, and you risk excessive body fat being gained instead of muscle. The best advice is to gradually increase the amount you eat so that you can carefully monitor your weight gain and achieve the right muscle growth to fat gain ratio.

Consider Natural Steroids

Anabolic steroids are currently illegal in the US and possession of them can land you with a hefty fine and even a prison sentence in some situations. There are also many nasty side effects, such as infertility, breast development, and an increased risk of prostate cancer, so it's just not worth the risk. However, there is good news for those wanting to gain muscle mass fast in a safer way. You can try turkesterone instead. This is a natural ecdysteroid found in plants and insects. There are said to be many health benefits related to turkesterone, including increased muscular endurance, improved recovery time, and improved body composition. It can even help with improving cholesterol and glucose levels.

Workout Sessions Should Be Frequent but Less Intense

While the temptation might be to simply create more intense workouts, research suggests that this isn't always the best route to take. Instead, you want to work out more frequently without pushing yourself too hard. This avoids injury and excessive soreness. For example, if you planned to focus on training your legs in just one session per week, you'd need to do a high number of low stimulus reps. However, spreading the reps over several sessions allows you to move more weight and reduce the stress you are putting on your body.

Eat More Protein and Carbs

It goes without saying that protein is vital for muscle growth. You need to consume around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight when you are trying to bulk up. However, it is also important to get enough carbs. While the muscles can use protein for energy, carbs are required if you want energy for high-intensity workouts. Here, it is recommended that you consume between two and three grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight.

Gaining muscle fast requires eating the right foods and devising the right workout. Use these tips to help you along your journey.

The Final Issue of Archery Focus Magazine

The final issue of Archery Focus Magazine is now available. I am fortunate to have been part of it.

I will miss it.

People interested in reading the final issue or reading back issues can learn more at:

archeryfocusmagazine.com

 


Horse Riding as Exercise

How many calories do you burn while riding a horse?

Well, the horse is doing most of the work... But the rider isn't exactly still either.

According to our sources - horseback riding calculators and magazines like Canadian Thoroughbred Magazine - an individual rider burns approximately 250 to 400 calories on average (varies on the rider's weight and level of fitness). This happens when riding at a slow speed. On the other hand, speedier activities like galloping tend to burn 550 to 700 calories per hour, but the horse can't really gallop for a full hour. It needs to stop and rest. You would have to gallop on a horse for as long as it can gallop, switch horses and repeat, and keep doing that for an hour. So you can't really gallop on a horse for a full hour.

All this goes to prove is the horse riding is great exercise.

It is also expensive. The vet bills alone for owning a horse is over $11,000 CDN per year.

But there is a solution!

If you really want to learn how to ride a horse (and get exercise) there are a variety of places that offer horse riding lessons or "trail riding days" near Toronto.

Places like:

  • Claireville Ranch
  • Caledon Equestrian School
  • Creditview Stables
  • Meadowlarke Stables
  • Benchmark Equestrian
  • Raynham Stables
  • Briarwood Farms
  • Quarter Valley Stables
  • York Equestrian
  • Forward Riding School
  • Well Dressed Equestrian
  • Pathways on Pleasure Valley
  • Silvercreek Riding School
  • Ajax Riding Academy
  • Stoneridge Farm

And more... Seriously. There's a tonne of them, and they cater to a variety of needs so you just need to browse if you want to find a fun place to ride horses (and get exercise). You want to find the kind of place that is right for you, in terms of the financial cost of riding lessons or "trail rides" and what you are looking for. Trail rides for example are typically less expensive, but they're not really teaching you anything. You are just expected to ride the horse as it follows the trail and you don't do anything else except ride (which is great if your primary goals are exercise and fresh air).

 

Not everyone wants trail rides however. Some people might want English-style riding lessons, or Western-style riding lessons. Some people might even be interested in show jumping or horse racing, in which case they would need to find specialized lessons for that sort of thing.


Some people might even want to learn how to ride bareback... on a beach. And while that sounds like a fantasy there are technically places that offer that. They're called resorts that have their own private beach and have horse riding lessons available for guests at the resort. Guaranteed you are paying a premium for that extra bit.

But if you do get into horse riding there are a number of physical health benefits for doing so, and a few mental ones too.

The benefits of horse riding include:

  • Strengthens core muscles. Core muscles are the ones that support your torso and help keep you upright.
  • Works your leg muscles.
  • Your arms and shoulder muscles get a workout.
  • Boosts heart health.
  • Improves balance and coordination.
  • Lowers stress.
  • Helps develop problem-solving skills.
  • Increases your bond with animals. 

So... Are you still procrastinating? You're not getting any younger. Go find some horse riding lessons today! It makes no difference to me. I mostly teach archery lessons. I just happen to like horses.

If it was up to me I would opt for the trail riding because I have already had horse riding lessons when I was younger. Getting riding lessons and repeating a lot of the stuff I already know is useless to me. I just want to go riding.

But I do foresee getting my son riding lessons, and possibly my wife if I can get her to agree to it, in which case that list of places above could be handy.

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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