It is my belief that the reason why all the Elves in
Tolkien-inspired movies are so slim and fat-free is because they've all
been shooting a bow since they were little babies.
Seriously though; have you ever stopped for a moment to wonder how shooting a bow on a semi-regular basis could improve your muscle strength and endurance, rid you of extra fat, and even improve your concentration? I like to think about stuff like that from time to time and so I decided to do some research on the subject. Here is what I found:
Shooting a Bow Strengthens Your Back Muscles
Contrary to what most people believe, drawing a bow string does almost nothing to your arm muscles. In fact, the motion involved is much more similar to what you do with your arms when rowing, and the same goes for muscle activation as well - shooting a bow activates your back lateral muscles and gets them pumpin' real hard. There's one drawback (accidental pun.. I'm proud of myself!) though:
You'll have to shoot equally often with both your right and left hand, otherwise you'll end up with uneven back muscle development (making you look more like Gollum than an Elf). The solution is to purchase a bow that is for both right- and left-handed people. Luckily for us, these type of bows are very cheap, often in the <$50 range.
Archery Is a Decent Fat Burning Activity
Spending an hour shooting a bow at your local range will burn between 250 and 350 calories per hour, depending on your body build and the bow you're using. If you were to go hunting though, then it's a completely different story!
Since hunting often involves hours upon hours of tracking your prey and positioning yourself in the right spot, all of which is often done while tiptoeing (care to find out how many calories ballerinas burn?) to avoid scaring the animal away, an archer on a hunting trip will burn between 500 and 700 calories per hour, depending on how far of a distance he walks, and how often he keeps the bow string drawn in preparation for a potential shot - the more often it is drawn, the more calories you burn. Why?
Because it's more demanding than it looks. A typical hunting bow requires you to pull on the string with a force of 40 to 45 pounds! After you pull the string and if you are hunting, you'll often need to keep the string drawn for minutes at a time, perfectly steady and motionless, while waiting for that perfect moment to shoot. For most untrained people this is so taxing that their bodies literally start shaking 30 seconds into the ordeal. The only way you can avoid this is by properly choosing the bow drawing weight for your particular body build, and only buying a stronger bow once you've gained some experience.
Focus Your Way To Fat Loss
Many people who have gotten into the sport of archery reported an increased feeling of self-confidence and overall concentration, which would appear after a few days of bow shooting and never fade unless a break of 2 weeks or more was taken from the sport.
Perhaps it's a long shot and perhaps it's not, but I'm willing to bet my life that this improved concentration and self-confidence would prove to be a very effective aid in your weight loss efforts.
If you've never shot a bow before, why not give it a try at a local archery club? Worst case scenario: you'll have a wonderful time and a new experience to share with your loved ones - maybe even a new hobby. Best case scenario - you'll turn into an Elf.
Well, you know what I mean.
Seriously though; have you ever stopped for a moment to wonder how shooting a bow on a semi-regular basis could improve your muscle strength and endurance, rid you of extra fat, and even improve your concentration? I like to think about stuff like that from time to time and so I decided to do some research on the subject. Here is what I found:
Shooting a Bow Strengthens Your Back Muscles
Contrary to what most people believe, drawing a bow string does almost nothing to your arm muscles. In fact, the motion involved is much more similar to what you do with your arms when rowing, and the same goes for muscle activation as well - shooting a bow activates your back lateral muscles and gets them pumpin' real hard. There's one drawback (accidental pun.. I'm proud of myself!) though:
You'll have to shoot equally often with both your right and left hand, otherwise you'll end up with uneven back muscle development (making you look more like Gollum than an Elf). The solution is to purchase a bow that is for both right- and left-handed people. Luckily for us, these type of bows are very cheap, often in the <$50 range.
Archery Is a Decent Fat Burning Activity
Spending an hour shooting a bow at your local range will burn between 250 and 350 calories per hour, depending on your body build and the bow you're using. If you were to go hunting though, then it's a completely different story!
Since hunting often involves hours upon hours of tracking your prey and positioning yourself in the right spot, all of which is often done while tiptoeing (care to find out how many calories ballerinas burn?) to avoid scaring the animal away, an archer on a hunting trip will burn between 500 and 700 calories per hour, depending on how far of a distance he walks, and how often he keeps the bow string drawn in preparation for a potential shot - the more often it is drawn, the more calories you burn. Why?
Because it's more demanding than it looks. A typical hunting bow requires you to pull on the string with a force of 40 to 45 pounds! After you pull the string and if you are hunting, you'll often need to keep the string drawn for minutes at a time, perfectly steady and motionless, while waiting for that perfect moment to shoot. For most untrained people this is so taxing that their bodies literally start shaking 30 seconds into the ordeal. The only way you can avoid this is by properly choosing the bow drawing weight for your particular body build, and only buying a stronger bow once you've gained some experience.
Focus Your Way To Fat Loss
Many people who have gotten into the sport of archery reported an increased feeling of self-confidence and overall concentration, which would appear after a few days of bow shooting and never fade unless a break of 2 weeks or more was taken from the sport.
Perhaps it's a long shot and perhaps it's not, but I'm willing to bet my life that this improved concentration and self-confidence would prove to be a very effective aid in your weight loss efforts.
If you've never shot a bow before, why not give it a try at a local archery club? Worst case scenario: you'll have a wonderful time and a new experience to share with your loved ones - maybe even a new hobby. Best case scenario - you'll turn into an Elf.
Well, you know what I mean.
About the author: Mark Nazzal specializes in 1 on 1 online weight
loss and fitness coaching. You can contact him for help with your
specific dieting or exercising issue through his website, where a large
number of helpful articles are also available: Help Me Lose Weight
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_J._Nazzal
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