Have you ever wondered about the connections between your general archery and health?
We all want to be as healthy as possible in order to enjoy life to the fullest. It’s important to make sure that you can engage in activities that help you stay healthy. There are many health benefits to archery. I decided that this was going to be a great topic for this post. Quite a few archers have never even considered the connection between the art of archery and their health, but there are many connections.
I will be going over some of the main connections between health and archery. From myths to facts and the benefits that come from archery training.
Can archery help you lose weight?
Harvard University answered this question with facts. They have mentioned that archery can help you burn at around 100 calories for every 30 minutes of archery. This means that you can consider archery to be similar to working out for 30 minutes with regular exercises. There is a dynamic created when the arms have to hold the bow and tense the string. This is needed to shot the arrows and it’s an excellent exercise.
You can’t rely on archery alone for weight loss. The reason why archery helps is
Archery and mental conditions
Your mind is also going to see some amazing benefits when you pick up archery. Some people who suffer from depression have said that archery has changed their lives forever. The physical and the mental involvement required for archery provides a great way to distract a person from depressive thoughts. Many aspects of archery in terms of history and theory are definitely going to keep any enthusiast busy. Moreover, that mental state in archery can dramatically
In reality
This is not so much about archery as it is about staying active and picking up a hobby. If that hobby happens to be archery that is great, but the important thing is that people who suffer from depression or anxiety are able to keep themselves busy. Some mental conditions can be even more crippling than physical illness, but it’s great to hear so many stories of people who have seen great improvements since they started archery.
Can archery improve your eyesight?
There are eyesight exercises that can help improve your sight. Archery naturally makes you perform many of those exercises. This is the reason why archery has been linked to improved eyesight. This discovery came after an improvement in the eyesight of trainees in archery camps after months of practice in military boot camps. This gave way to actual tests that show the kind of exercises that a person’s eyes will engage when they are performing archery. In addition, there are lots of tips on how to improve your bow shooting and enhance your skills.
Any kind of exercise or activity that makes you focus your sight on a target is a great exercise. It’s important to say that if you feel that you have any issues with your eyesight, archery is not going to cure them. People who have no issues with their eyesight are the ones that can benefit from archery for better focus,
Can archery build muscle?
The process of shooting an arrow is going to strengthen shoulders, arms, chest and the entire core of the body. It also helps your posture and keeps your blood flow at optimal levels. There are bows that force the archer to maintain a high level of tension and pressure before taking the shot. If you think of how many shots an archer takes each day while training, you will see how archery can be a great way to develop certain muscles of the body.
The Intensity
People who practice archery four to five times a week are going to see a great change in their muscle tone and strength. I have definitely noticed that my arms are stronger now. I also have good tone and definition on my forearms and triceps. My shoulders also feel stronger. There is a general feeling of muscular fatigue, one that is very similar to that of a regular workout when you are done with a long archery session.
Important point
I would like to point out that you are not going to turn into a bodybuilder by using the bow and arrow. You will gain tone and strength without a doubt. The greatest advantage of archery is that it always requires physical strength to draw your bow and take your shot.
Can archery cause tennis elbow?
Many individuals suffer from this very common condition. With that said, there is no indication that archery has ever been the cause. If you have been diagnosed with tennis elbow, the best thing you can do is try practicing archery as you always did, but see if this is going to cause any serious discomfort. If that is the case, you should consider stopping and then seeing how long it takes for your condition to get better. I am not a doctor or in any way qualified to diagnose this problem, but I would say that practicing archery should only be a concern if it hurts and if it keeps your condition from healing.
Can archery cause scoliosis?
No, archery will no cause this condition, but it can be hard for people with scoliosis to practice archery. This tends to be painful. I am not a doctor, but I have read about archers who claim their doctors told them not to practice archery if they suffer from scoliosis. Then they get a second opinion from another doctor that tells them this should not be an issue. This is the kind of thing that creates a clash in terms of opinions. That is the main reason why it’s always good to get more than one opinion when making a decision. Doctors can be wrong in some cases.
So, If I suffered from a condition, I would simply try out archery for a while to see if I don’t feel any pain and discomfort. I think this is a good way to find out if your archery practice would be affected by any kind of health issue. You need to make sure that you always listen to your body. This is going to give you the answers you need. This is of course if you have a doctor telling you that it’s ok to engage in this kind of activity. Even if you get a green light from a doctor, you still need to listen to your body in order to decide.
My personal tips
If you want to improve your archery, you need to think about your health. I always consider the importance of proper dieting and I feel that my accuracy affected by the kind of food and beverage I consume. For example, when I eat a lot of sugary foods and I drink too much coffee, I feel that I have a hard time hitting the bulls eye, but when I eat fruits and vegetables and I avoid too much caffeine, I feel completely different and my accuracy sees an improvement.
hence, I also believe that sleeping enough hours every day is essential for archery. When I don’t get enough sleep, my archery skills suffer and this is always the case. I don’t remember ever having good aim when I have stayed up all night. As I said this is all from personal experience, but I am sure most people would also feel that this affects their archery skills. All professional archers make sure that they eat properly and they get sufficient sleep. This is essential when they are preparing for a tournament.
In conclusion
Last but not least, I always mention YouTube in my articles. I feel that this is the best place for people to find all kinds of great tips for archery. Not only that but also for general health and fitness topics. We are living in very exciting times. I believe that the internet is an amazing tool for anyone who seeks knowledge on all kinds of subjects. I make use of it often, I always verify their quality and look at several sources.
Final thoughts
There is no denying that archery can be extremely beneficial to our health in many ways. I myself have been able to see many of these benefits after years of practice. Most people who take on archery will see these benefits within just a few weeks of getting started. The arms, the back, and the core all see huge benefits from the use of the bow.
Now that you know a bit more about the links and connections between archery and health, you can see that there is nothing linking archery to any damaging conditions. You could be worsening some health conditions if you practice archery without being monitored by a doctor, but that goes for any kind of physical activity.