Indoor Archery Ranges in Toronto

Q

"Is there any indoor archery ranges in Toronto?"

A

This is a frequently asked question. The answer is "Yes, there are, but it is complicated and difficult to get into them."

The reason why it is complicated/difficult is because of the following reasons.

#1. The Hart House Archery Range (University of Toronto) is full. No new members allowed except for 1 day during Frosh Week in September each year and 1 day at the start of January each year. So unless you are an U of T student or alumni, don't bother.

#2. The Ryerson Archery Club is also full. The club is brand new as of Jan. 2015, and they're already full. Ryerson students come first of course, but even so the club is officially full. So unless you are a Ryerson student and willing to wait until September maybe then they will allow in new members.

#3. Casa Loma used to have an archery range and taught longbow lessons once upon a time, but they have since shut it down due to liability concerns. So you are not going to find any help there.

#4. The Toronto School of Archery has 3 locations in Etobicoke (only on Mondays and Thursdays), East York (only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and Beaches (which is full and not accepting new members). The "ranges" are in the basement of a church, a community centre, etc, and only operate between 6 PM and 9 PM. Which severely limits your options if you are busy on weekday evenings.

#5. The JCCC (Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre) does have a gym they use as an archery range - but it is only for people who sign up to study Kyudo (Japanese archery using yumi bows). Kyudo is highly ceremonial and is basically the archery equivalent of Japanese tea ceremony. So unless you are a patient type of person who loves all things zen then you are probably not going to enjoy Kyudo.

#6. Archery District is not a real archery range but I am listing it anyway. It is a facility for people into Archery Tag™, and costs $24 + HST per person for 1 hour of usage. You use the bows and equipment provided and no outside equipment is allowed. During that hour you play with up to 20 people games of Archery Tag™, wherein you shoot each other with boffer arrows. I have been to Archery District twice myself so far and it is a lot of fun, but for people who enjoy accuracy, shooting long distances, just want to practice then you need to find a different place to practice. So unless you want to practice shooting at moving targets you need to find a different place to practice.

#7. Archery Camps / Day Camps is another option if you are looking for a place for your kids to practice. There are a number of day camps and archery camps in or near Toronto which offer archery (either indoor or outdoors). ArcheryToronto.ca maintains a list of archery camps and day camps. However unless you are a kid in the right age group this isn't going to help you.

"So where can I practice indoors then?"

After reading all of the above you are probably feeling a bit disheartened and wondering if you will ever be able to find an indoor archery range in Toronto that is open 7 days per week, is indoors, and will let in anyone as a member.

But do not despair I am working on just that.

For the past year almost I have been building a Waiting List for an Indoor Archery Range - which I am tentatively calling Toronto's Indoor Archery Gymnasium (TIAG). To get on the waiting list please email cardiotrek@gmail.com and give your name, email address, phone number and whether you want a monthly or annual membership.

This indoor archery range will be located in the Leaside / Davisville area of Toronto and work on a gym membership basis. Monthly membership will be $100 and annual membership will be $800. Once the Toronto's Indoor Archery Gymnasium is up and running smoothly the rates will come down, but at present the only way to make such an indoor archery range financially viable is to charge the rates mentioned above in order to get a space large enough for multiple shooting lanes.

So far 30 people have signed up for the Waiting List, but we need 50 people to sign up in order to open an indoor range. 50 people x $800 = $40,000. That is how much we need to lease, renovate, and maintain a space, and as the membership grows each year we will lower the annual rates in order to encourage more members to sign up for the annual membership.

Range hours will likely be:
Sunday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

The range will also be hiring staff to supervise the range + archery instructors - people who have experience teaching longbows, recurves (traditional and Olympic), compound bows and shortbows / horsebows.

The range will be designed to be friendly to hunters, competitive shooters and recreational archers. Everyone will be welcome. The photos shown on this page are photos showing how other archery ranges are designed. The Toronto Indoor Archery Gymnasium will be designed using a mixture of styles. We will also be making an effort to make sure the space is wheel chair accessible (several of the other ranges mentioned above are not wheel chair accessible).

"What if I am looking for a crossbow range in Toronto?

Lastly the Toronto's Indoor Archery Gymnasium will include space for people who are into crossbows - making it the only crossbow range in Toronto. So if you are looking for a crossbow range in Toronto, please email cardiotrek@gmail.com to add your name to the Waiting List.

Archery Vs Wind Speed and Time of Year

Q

"Hello!

What is the best time of year to do archery in Toronto? I am asking with respect to weather conditions.

- John W."

A

Hello John!

Ignoring rain, I think the biggest factor would be wind conditions - especially for shooting longer distances because the wind effects the arrow 4 times as much at 80 yards compared to 20 yards.

Judging by the average month to month wind speeds in Toronto (as well as a measurement of the average number of days with strong wind (52 kph or more) then the best month to do archery in Toronto is August.

I created the chart above using data from currentresults.com. The statistics below are likewise from the same website. If you want to check the wind, temperature, precipitation and humidity for other times of the year I recommend visiting the website. Other people reading this can also check their local weather conditions to see which is the best times of the year for them to practice if they want ideal conditions.

Temperature wise August's temperatures average between a high of 26 C and a low of 17 C.

Average precipitation during August is 81 mm, so there should be plenty of dry days.

Average humidity during August is 81% in the morning and 61% in the afternoon, which means the best time of day to go to the Toronto Archery Range is the afternoon or early evening.

Personally I like shooting during September and October. Sure it is slightly windier in September and October, but the temperature is more comfortable and there is less humidity in the afternoons.

Another factor, outside of wind conditions, is how busy it is at the archery range at different times during the week. The best time to go is a weekday morning or early afternoon. On weekends the range tends to get crowded.

Lastly I want to note that what you are asking for is basically when is the best time to get the ideal weather conditions in order to get more accuracy, however when doing archery outdoors the primary purpose really should be to learn how to adjust for wind / weather conditions. Thus you learn how to shoot regardless of whether it is raining, windy, snowing, foggy, cold, hot, humid or any other kind of conditions.

I personally love shooting at a moving target on a windy day. The smaller the moving target the better.

Celebrity Health Diets: When to listen to celebrity advice

Do celebrities know what they are talking about when they recommend a health product or lifestyle?

Celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to the Kardashians are trying to get you to buy into their particular brand of health product.

This in and of itself could be a good thing, in fact some of these products could be really helpful in getting you into shape.

But it may also be a bad thing because a recommendation from a celebrity may not be the most informed source of information about your health (better sources include your doctor or a scientist).

So let's look at some celebrity health products and lifestyles and follow some simple rules that will help us make the best decision.

If the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) says it is not good, that might be a sign.

A health supplement and sexual enhancing drug has been endorsed by the football personalities Jimmy Johnson.

In a commercial, he says that the product works for him and with 1 billion pills sold it must work for the other men who purchased them (which is faulty logic because all we really know is that they purchased it not that it works for them; in fact for all we know a good proportion of the men that purchased the pills could be suffering from adverse health effects because of the pill [though this has not been proven]).

Despite the praise showered on the drug by Jimmy Johnson, the FDA has denounced the drug and issued a voluntary recall for it in 2011.

The spokesman at the FDA said that they have received reports of spiked products, poor regulation of what is put in the pill (including counterfeit and undeclared ingredients) and that it included ingredients that have been banned in the United States (including 1 that is known to cause heart disease.

If the celebrity is a little shady.

I am talking about those celebrities (and I use that word very loosely) that you are not so sure should be celebrities.  These include the reality stars or the 15 minutes of fame on Youtube variety.  These people essentially hit the lottery and have done nothing to deserve your attention.

A lot of the time these people want to extend their paydays and by extension their celebrity so they may endorse things that in the long run (or short run for that matter) are not the best choices for your health.  Snooki and The Situation from MTV's reality hit Jersey Shore are just some celebrities that have endorsed products that are meant to make you healthier but really there are  questions marks about the products efficacy.

Snooki endorsed a cookie diet, but even she has conceded that working out everyday is the best way to lose weight.

The Situation has endorsed a protein infused vodka drink that falls short in terms of it's weight losing abilities.

If it just sounds crazy.

Some diets are just a little too crazy for normal people.  If your job is to look good all day and you have the means to ensure you can maintain your lifestyle then have at it, but if you have a full time job, kids, friends and family or a restricted budget then this diet may not be for you.

Posh Spice otherwise known as Victoria Beckham swore by her 5 Hands diet in which she only ate 5 handfuls of food (which was only berries, nuts and grains) a day.  That sounds great for her, but if you need a lot of energy and you want to make it through the day this may not be the best thing for you.

Gwyneth Paltrow used to live by her organic and macrobiotic diet where she would only eat whole unprocessed foods.  This seemingly does not sound too extreme but when you think about it it has 2 major problems.

The first is money.  How in the world could a normal person with a family possibly maintain that kind of diet financially.  Organic foods way are more expensive that regular foods and could break the bank of us non-celebrities.

The second problem is nutrition. You will have to ban meat and dairy products from your diet. These foods provide important vitamins and nutrients that you will have to supplement in someway to ensure you stay healthy and without the proper guidance you could be putting your health in serious danger.  Ms. Paltrow herself has since relaxed her diet restrictions so even she has admitted that her diet may not be the best way to live your life.

Listen to yourself

The best way to tell if a celebrity diet or lifestyle is a good idea for you is to check with yourself.  Pay attention to what your body is saying to you.  If you feel pain, stop that particular exercise.  If you feel hungry or lightheaded, eat.  If you feel full, stop eating.  If you feel that a particular pill you are taking is making you ill, consult your physician.  Everyone is different and we all have different circumstances we are living in so make sure that whatever you are doing is right for you and makes you feel better.

A Handful of Nose Exercise Questions and Answers

It has been awhile since I have answered any nose exercise questions so here are a few I received recently. See my past posts on:

Nose Exercises Vs Rhinoplasty

Fixing a Crooked Nose using Nose Exercises

Do you actually need Nose Exercises?

Will Nose Exercises make your nose thinner?

His name has been omitted for privacy reasons.

Q

"Hello,

I was wondering if there was anything I can do for a crooked nose that doesn't involve surgery is it true that nose exercises can fix many of these concerns?"

A

Yes, as long as the damage doesn't include damage to the bone or cartilage. See the instructions on the website.

Q

"I have noticed that many of these exercises are making my nose wider is that supposed to be happen? Also will it make it too wide?"

A

"Yes, with the exception of the Nose Narrowing exercise, the other exercises build muscle and that will make a person's nose slightly thicker."

Q

"Are there any other negative side effects associated with doing such exercises? Why haven't doctors recommended them?"

A

They're exercises associated with facial expressions. People wrinkle their nose / etc all the time when they smile, frown, etc, so no, there is no risks associated with nose exercises.

Nose exercises just change the shape of a person's nose slowly over time, either to correct a crooked nose due to damaged muscle tissue or to change the shape of the nose by reshaping the muscle tissue under the skin. Your nose shape is dictated by muscle tissue, cartilage and the nose bone part of the skull where the skull meets the nose. By reshaping the muscle within the nose using exercises it can lengthen, shorten, narrow, or widen the nose - as well as fix problems wherein nose muscle tissue was damaged.

Nose exercises cannot change the shape of the nose bone however. A broken nose (nasal fractures are a common sports injury) can be realigned in most cases to prevent deformity as the broken nose bone will heal over time if it is in the correct position to restitch itself back together, which means nose exercises can be used during treatment and post treatment to keep the nose aligned. Depending on the severity of the broken nose, surgery is sometimes necessary in order to prevent deformity.

Plastic surgeons would never recommend nose exercises because their goal is to get people to buy rhinoplasty. In the case of a severe nasal fracture the patient doesn't have much choice however.
It would be like asking a doctor who does liposuction whether he approves of people just exercising to lose weight. The doctor's goal is to make money so they would likely respond with laughter and saying something like "Well yes, I suppose you could, but how has that been going for you? If exercise was working for you then why are you here? It is very difficult to lose weight exercising so if you can afford it why not just pay for the liposuction instead?"

The vast majority of people who have contacted me about nose exercises actually have very nice noses with a minor problem that doesn't require surgery and is easily fixed by doing nose exercises for several months. I have only encountered one person (who had a very large nose bone protruding from his skull which made his nose unusually large) who could not be helped because the size and shape of his nose was due to elongated shape of the nose bone.

A few people who have contacted me don't even need the exercises. Their worries appear to be more mental and the shape of their nose, in my opinion, is already ideal. They are worrying over nothing.
In your case the muscle tissue has become imbalanced on opposite sides of your nose. Basically the muscles on one side of your nose is bigger than the other side. The nose straightening exercise will build up muscle tissue on both sides, equalizing the muscles on both sides over time and straightening out your nose, and making your nose slightly thicker in the process. When you cease doing the exercises in the future your nose will lose the extra thickness after a month or so and go back to its normal size, but it will have straightened out long before then.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 30

Hello Toronto!

Today is my last day of 30 Days as a Vegetarian.

I admit it has been a fun experiment, but my conclusion is that I am not cut out to be a vegetarian. (I will be having bacon and eggs for breakfast tomorrow morning.)

I have lost some weight around my middle - although I do wonder if I could have lost more if it had not been that huge blip that was Valentines.

My weight as of this morning (my final weigh in was after breakfast) is 191.5 lbs. When I started this experiment I was 197.6, so I have lost slightly more than 6 lbs, which suggests I lost roughly 0.2 lbs day. Mathematically that is 700 calories per day that I was either taking in less food / burning calories through exercise. When you consider the average person should be eating 1800 to 2000 calories per day, 700 calories per day is a huge reduction.

Again, I probably would have lost more if it had not been that huge blip following Valentines. I would probably be around 189 or 190 if it had not been for that over-consumption of food on Valentines.

I am going to continue to eat healthy after this experiment, but meat will be back on the menu as an option. I hope that what I take from this experiment is that I will continue to eat healthier - more veggies and so forth - and I will have a greater appreciation of being an omnivore.

There will definitely be a lasting effect on my diet in the future. There will be lots more strawberry shakes (see photos below of the 3 step process it takes to make a strawberry shake) and I think I will go back to The Duke of Richmond sometime for that black bean veggie burger that was soooo good. I will also be making more veggie soups and stews in the future as I think I am addicted to those now. But it will be nice to have the option to throw in some leftover meat with the soup for added flavour.

Later tonight I am going to be having a veggie burger, veggie pizza and beer during a social event. But so far today I have had cereal and a salad. I will likely have some carrot sticks before I leave for the event in the evening.

This has been fun. I may or may not do something similar again in the future. Possibly 30 Days as a Pescetarian would be fun as I have determined being a vegetarian is not for me.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 28

Only today, tomorrow and Friday left to go for my 30 Days as a Vegetarian.

The end is in sight! I can almost taste the bacon!

I am going to be so happy when this is over.

I do have some conclusions on what has happened thus far.

#1. It is not so much what I am eating - vegetarian food can be equally fattening if it is deep fried, high in carbs, high in sugar, etc. The biggest difference clearly is HOW MUCH I am eating - as clearly demonstrated with what happened on Valentines when I clearly overate and ate too much greasy food.

#2. I also saw larger differences on the days after large amounts of exercise. Clearly exercising does pay off in the waistline department, but the trick for people is to make exercising sustainable. If they lose interest they will stop doing it.

Note - See Day 14 of 30 Days as a Vegetarian to see my exercise routine.

#3. I think for me having exercises to do every day (including shoveling snow) helped with the weight loss more than the process of eating vegetarian. Exercising was by far the biggest factor for me.

#4. Binging on Valentines = Bad.

#5. Eating healthy and lots of exercise on the days following Valentines = Good. See why below...

Yesterday I had leftover veggie soup, potatoes, a veggie burger and caesar salad at Johnny Rockets (as usual for Tuesdays).

This morning before breakfast I weighed in at 192.3 lbs and my waist is 40.5 inches. So evidently the weight gain from overeating on Valentines turned out to be temporary and I have even lost 0.1 lbs in the last 6 days.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 26

Day 26 of 30 Days as a Vegetarian.

Today at noon (after lunch) I weighed in at 195.6 lbs, and yet surprisingly my waist measured only 40.5 inches at the widest point.

So compared to 4 days ago (before Valentines) when I weighed 192.4 after breakfast, I have gained 3.2 lbs in 4 days - most of which happened on Valentines with the ridiculous amount of food I ate.

I don't even want to know what my weight was yesterday (Sunday). All I can say is wow. Binging on Valentines really can make a huge difference to your weight.

What is strange however is that this extra weight didn't go to my belly (possibly because it has not yet had time to do so) as my waist is still hovering at 40.5 at the widest point. I am uncertain WHY or WHAT happened, but if my waist hasn't caught up to this sudden weight fluctuation maybe there is hope this is just temporary.

Update: Today I had cereal, veggie soup, mashed potatoes and peas - and a beer closer to the evening.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 24

Day 24 of 30 Days as a Vegetarian.

Okay so technically I am writing this on Day 25 because yesterday was Valentines and I was too busy to have time to write it.

And honestly I am not even going to check my weight today. I am just going to try ignore everything that I ate on Valentines as it was a lot...

Friday I had cereal, soup and a veggie burger.

Saturday (Valentines) I had:

1. [Breakfast] Cereal + green tea.
2. [Snack] Hot Chocolate from Tim Hortons (while visiting the Toronto Archery Range).
3. [Lunch] All you can eat Chinese food (vegetarian items only), many of which were deep fried.
4. [Snack] Chocolate.
5. [Supper] Grilled Cheese, Fries, Nachos and roughly 2.5 beers at a pub.
6. [Snack] More chocolate.

By the time I went to bed last night I felt like a beached whale and "so full I might burst".

Hopefully if I play my cards right that Valentines food binge will likely be meaningless by the time Monday rolls around. Eating all that food yesterday for Valentines seems to have resulted in a deflated appetite today. We shall see when I weigh in on Monday (tomorrow).

Update - I did go to an event on Sunday where I had a plate of fries (it was the only thing vegetarian on the menu) and a beer. I didn't feel hungry that day and was probably still on a sugar high from Valentines.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 22

Day 22 of 30 Days as a Vegetarian.

Weighed in after breakfast at 192.4, waist at widest point is now 40.5 inches. Huzzah!

For lunch I will be trying something new soup wise, using a lot of chick peas. It will be similar to my old 2013 post titled How to Make a Hearty Vegetable Soup in a Jiffy.

Later tonight I am going to an event (again at 7 West) and will be trying something other than their veggie burger (which was horrible the last time I was there).

Nothing else new to report at this time.

Update - I had the grilled cheese sandwich, a salad and a Guinness. I have determined that grilled cheese, while not very healthy, tasted waaaaaaaaaay better than that horrid veggie burger I had last time at 7 West. I should have taken a photograph of the sandwich and the salad, but I forgot so I will just use a clipart example instead.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 20

Today is Day 20 of 30 Days as a Vegetarian.

Yesterday I had leftover pancakes and veggie stew to eat. This morning I had cereal, I will be having soup for lunch and later today I will be having a veggie burger (like I do every Tuesday and Friday) at Johnny Rockets.

Weighed in this morning at 192.8, waist at widest point is still 41 inches.

I have concluded that my food options as a vegetarian are very boring. I have started searching through recipe books / vegetarian websites looking for recipes that are healthy that I would actually like.

Unfortunately recipe books written for vegetarians seem to think wheat grass can be added to anything and ignores the possibility that most grocery stores don't even sell wheat grass. (And have you ever tasted wheat grass? Yuck!)

Thus what I have started doing is looking through mainstream recipe books (like America's Test Kitchen) and looking for examples of things that are healthy / vegetarian.

Many of the things in some of these cookbooks are quite complicated to make and it occurs to me that I am actually really horrible in the kitchen at anything that doesn't involve meat, pasta or cookies*.

* Mostly because my mother was absolutely amazing at making cookies, squares, chocolate covered peanut butter balls, etc and that such things rubbed off on me.

Note to Self - Visit grocery store and stock up on various things, I am running low again.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 18

Day 18 of "30 Days as a Vegetarian".

Yesterday I think I ate too much food I probably should not have. Why?

Because I was at the Toronto Sportsmen's Show as part of the Toronto Archery Club. I was there talking to bow makers, hunters, fishermen, camping enthusiasts, etc.

DnD Meats Dried Cured Bacon

With respect to food however the healthiest vegetarian foods I could find at the convention centre was vegetarian pizza from the Pizza Pizza stand and french fries from one of the food stands at the convention centre - which is to say, not very healthy even though they are vegetarian.

There was also venison meat and other meat packages for sale, but I knew that was definitely off limits. eg. I snapped a photo of the D&D Meats Dried Cured Bacon, shown here on the right. It doesn't look very tasty, but I betcha it is if you are a bacon lover like I am. Only 12 more days to go!

And today I fell off the diet wagon a bit because I ended up ordering a vegetarian pizza from Domino's Pizza so we could have a treat while watching The Walking Dead later tonight. So I didn't fall off the veggie wagon, but that pizza was most definitely not healthy. Whether this abundance of high carbs food will have an impact on my weigh in on Tuesday (Day 20) we shall find out then.

My weight this morning, before breakfast was 193.3, so the pizza yesterday may have been offset from the amount of walking around I did at the convention centre. I wouldn't have thought walking around carrying bags of stuff I purchased counted as exercise, but apparently I was wrong. My waist at widest point is still 41 inches.

Below are three of the photos I took while at the Toronto Sportmen's Show. I admit they are totally off topic for the vegetarian theme my current posts are on, but I wanted to share them in case any fellow archery enthusiasts are reading.

My girlfriend and I have been discussing what things I might eat after my 30 Days as a Vegetarian is over. Topics include Korean BBQd samgyopsal, a bacon cheeseburger, fish n chips... I know it is only 12 days away but it feels like longer.

Anywho I am hungry now so I am going to go make some veggie stew.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 16

Day 16 of "30 Days as a Vegetarian".

On Wednesday night my girlfriend and I went out for dinner and then to the Royal Alexandra Theatre where we saw "The Heart of Robin Hood" on stage.

We ate at The Duke of Richmond (Eaton's Centre) and I had the Black Bean Veggie Burger + Moroccan Stew. Honest to dragon*, that was the best veggie burger I have had yet. I could see ordering that burger again in the future (after my 30 Days as a Vegetarian is over), just because it was that tasty.

Black Bean Veggie Burger + Moroccan Stew

* I don't like using religious words online if I can prevent it, so I just replace them all with dragon. eg. omidragon.

Weight is currently 193.4 lbs and waist at widest point is still 41 inches.

Later today I will be visiting Johnny Rockets again for another veggie burger and caesar salad. I admit having food in restaurants 2-3 days per week is probably not healthy. For me it seems to be giving me something to look forward to while I am eating salads, mushroom soups, veggie stews, etc.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 14

Hello! Welcome to Day 14 of "30 Days as a Vegetarian".

Lets see... had another veggie burger at Johnny Rockets again last night. Honestly this is going to be a regular occurrence as I have events downtown near there every Tuesday and Friday.

In the meantime all of the homemade apple pie my girlfriend made disappeared two days ago so I am back to my regular staples of soups, salads, smooothies, etc. I am back to trying to limit my intake of anything sugary or high in carbs - the apple pie was a nice break from the monotony, but I need to watch how often I eat such things.

I think I should take some time to talk about my weightlifting / exercise routine during this 30 day experiment. Here are the exercises I am doing:

Shoveling Snow x However much it Snows***
Jumping Jacks x 200 to 500**
Chin ups x 50 to 100**
Push ups x 50 to 100**
Bicep curls with 15 to 30 lb dumbbells*
Tricep curls above head with one 20 to 30 lb dumbbell*
Lifts above head with 15 to 25 lb dumbbells*
Shoulder Ts with 15 lb dumbbells*
Squats with 15 to 30 lb dumbbells* held at sides
Squat Ts with 15 to 30 lb dumbbells*

* The amount of weight I use varies on the day and how energetic I feel. The number of sets and repetitions also varies on my schedule for that day, and how busy / energetic I feel.

** The number of jumping jacks, chin ups and push ups relates more to how much time I have available that day and not necessarily how energetic I feel, although that is certainly a factor.

*** Honestly, you may consider shoveling snow to be a chore but it is still definitely an exercise as it combines both weight lifting and cardio. I should also note I don't shovel every day however as it has not been snowing every day, although we certainly got lots in the last 2 days.

Back to the topic of vegetarian food I have nothing new to report beyond my weight this morning and waist measurement at widest point:

193.8 lbs and 41 inches.

30 Days as a Vegetarian - Day 12

Hello! Welcome to Day 12 of "30 Days as a Vegetarian".

As you may have already read 2 days ago I am getting bored of my food options so I have been looking for alternative ways to make different kinds of food. What I really need is a "vegetarian recipe book for beginners who suck at cooking".

Yesterday I went to the grocery store again, buying more strawberries and other things... but also:

6 Carrot muffins - 350 calories per muffin.
Apple pie - 320 calories per slice, using 1/8th per slice.
28 Bran cookies - 46.7 calories per cookie.

Now obviously I am not going to be eating everything all at once, or all on the same, etc. But basically I was looking for things that are relatively low in calories, but still taste good and allows me to break away from the hum-drum of eating soups, salads, etc all the time.

One of the things I saw yesterday was the Sugar Cream Pie from the photo below. (I saw it while I was browsing for apple pie.) What is funny is when I read the ingredients it is vegetarian friendly, but most certainly is not healthy for you. Brown sugar is its 2nd most plentiful ingredient and the calories were staggering. It made me feel thankful the apple pie was comparatively low in calories.

However I should note gorging yourself on apple pie is still not good for your waistline.

Another thing I saw at the grocery store was Textured Vegetable Protein.

Wow. Just wow.

I had to read the ingredients and check the calorie info, and it looked interesting, but I struggled to think of something I would actually use it for. I could not think of something to use it in, beyond oatmeal or cereal or mixing with yogurt, and therefore I didn't buy it because I have no clue what it actually tastes like and was unsure what to use it for.

Besides if I feel really low on protein I have whey protein powder I can use.

Personal + Measurement Notes

I cannot wait for this experiment to be over. My girlfriend keeps eating hamburgers, pasta with meat on it, chicken salad and other things in front of me. It looks soooooo tasty...

After seeing me buying pie yesterday my girlfriend decided to make homemade pie, so the store bought pie hasn't even been taken out of the package yet... but the homemade pie will likely disappear later today as there is only about 2.5 slices left.

My weight this morning, before breakfast, was 194.2. The two helpings of apple pie probably did not help... Waist at widest point is still 41 inches. At very least the apple pie is a nice break from the routine and I can hopefully power my way through the next 18 days.

Valentines Day Archery Lessons Gift Vouchers

If you are looking for archery lessons in Toronto or you are looking to give your loved one archery lessons as a Valentines gift, you can purchase a Gift Voucher for archery lessons from Cardio Trek.

You can also get Couples Archery Lessons for you and your loved one.

Weekday Daytime lessons are $60 each for one person or $80 each for couples.

Weekday Evening or Weekend lessons are $80 each for one person or $100 each for couples.

If you are over 65 there is a 5% Seniors Discount.

If you are purchasing 3 or more lessons there is additional discount. See our archery rates for details.

Please Note - Gift Vouchers have an expiry date 18 month after the date of purchase. eg. If the Voucher Number says SEP17, then it expires September 2017.