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.

How Smartwatches Can Help You Lose Weight?

By Karlo

Smartwatches seem to be on the rise. They have proven to be more than a fad but are not as popular as smartphones are. One area in which they get heavily touted is fitness. One of the most common obsessions of the modern age is the desire to lose weight. In this article, we explore how you can use your smartwatch to help you with that goal.

Every Step Counts

No matter what someone says, you will not lose weight just by having a gadget on your wrist. It is there to make your tracking and info logging easier and provide you with certain useful information, but it doesn’t magically start reducing your kilos.

Pretty much any smartwatch has a pedometer to count your steps. It’s a good beginning. Most will even have a programmed target of 10.000 walking steps a day. You will most likely fail to hit that target, but don’t worry. 5.000 is also good enough if you have other psychical activities in the day or if your diet is reasonably balanced. Not to mention, any psychical activity (including walking) helps a lot with your insulin sensitivity which might have gotten worse if you lived a sedentary life for some time.

An essential part of exercising (and eating) right is to reward yourself with something after. And in this case, bad food isn’t an option. Instead, we recommend you play games. Get a hit of adrenaline by playing free online games that don't cost you a cent. Eg. Pokemon Go.

 

Half of the Work Is Done In The Kitchen

Walking, running, and exercising is only one-half of the equation. Your diet is the other part. Luckily, you can get a lot of assistance from your smartwatch in that regard.

It would help to track the calories and the macros (protein, carbohydrates, or fats) you are intaking. But to do that, you would first need to know how many calories a specific type of food has. So it would help if you had a convenient way to store information (what and how much you ate) and a quick way to find out how many calories are in the ingredients you are using for dinner. Don’t worry; that’s what nutrition platforms come in handy. And the best ones are., of course, also available for your smartwatch too.

One thing not to forget is to drink enough water. It is suitable for weight-reducing goals, but it is even more critical for your general health and wellbeing. And smartwatches can also help to remind you to drink enough water during the day.

All in all, smartwatches don’t magically make you lose weight. They help manage the process more efficiently and digitally. They don’t suddenly give you a surge of willpower or make you run more. That is your part. Think of your smartwatch just as a fitness (and diet) notebook for the 21st century.

5 Best Treadmills with Web Surfing

By Petra

A treadmill is an excellent investment for both home and professional use. It's always available and can get used no matter the outside weather. Also, running on cushioned tread has a lesser impact than running on outside terrain. The great thing about treadmills is they can track your workout, and some treadmills can simulate different terrains. In addition to basic features, some modern treadmills can get used for web surfing. They also let you listen to music and watch videos. In the text below, we gathered the five best treadmills that allow web surfing and mentioned some of their most significant features to help you find the most suitable one.

NordicTrack Commercial 2450

The NordicTrack 2450 features a 14" screen that allows watching videos and films while working out and taking care of your health. At any moment, you can check your activities by switching to the stats tracking mode. In addition, by automatically adjusting the treadmill's pace, incline, and descent, the iFit app will assist you in concentrating on your running and following the instructions. Other features include space-saving design and FlexSelect cushioning that makes running comfortable and easy.

Artis Run

Artis Run shares the basic and minimalist design of the Artis series. It includes strength and cardio equipment, and it got designed to provide maximum performance and complete training. It features a big cushioned running surface that adjusts to your pace precisely. Also, it comes with 21 inches multimedia touch interface that has an ergonomic placement. The touchscreen serves to watch TV series and movies, enjoy music, and surf the web while the workout gets tracked. The advanced technology enables minimal power consumption and quiet operation. Fast track controls are programmable and easy to use for interval training. For uphill training, the treadmill can imitate an incline of up to 15%.

Matrix TF50

Matrix TF50 is a sturdy and durable treadmill that has a lot to offer. Various connection options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Android. It features a 16" touchscreen display and 5W speakers. Furthermore, it's integrated with many popular apps like Netflix, Facebook, and Hulu, along with workout programs. Other features include the maximum speed of 12.5 mph and incline range up to 15%.

Among other apps, Matrix TF50 includes a web browser. You can browse almost any website you want. You can run on a treadmill any time and don't have to worry about missing sports events. It has enough computing power to visit more demanding HTML5 websites, such as online games with detailed graphics. If you have one of these treadmills, be sure to check how they cope with these types of casino games because it will be a good benchmark for everything else you throw at it. On top of that, the treadmill has a dent so that you can put a tablet in it. Load it with your favourite apps and combine it with the touchscreen.

ProForm Pro 9000

The 60"x 22" belt surface area of ProForm Pro 9000 provides a large running area for running. The steel frame makes this treadmill durable for many years of workouts. The 10" full-colour touchscreen has a Chrome browser for surfing the internet. Also, the treadmill supports iFit integration, allowing you to use it as a personal trainer with automated decline and incline adjustments.

FreeMotion 890

FreeMotion 890 treadmill has a large running area ideal for heavy runners. It also has multiple incline and decline ranges, while the 10-inch touch screen can connect to the Internet and Android. It even has HMDI and RCA ports for connecting to a laptop. Additionally, iFit and 40 workout applications are available. The integrated fan can get used while working out to keep yourself fresh.

Good News and Bad News: Archery Focus Magazine

Well, I have good news and bad news...

The good news is I have another article that is being published in "Archery Focus Magazine". It will be coming out in the November-December 2021 issue.

The bad news is that the November-December 2021 issue will also be the final issue, the farewell issue, of the magazine.

It saddens me that the final issue is coming so soon. I am aware that many magazines thrive and survive based on subscriptions, and that if those subscriptions eventually falter that the magazine may be unsustainable. Many print media magazines and newspapers have ended during the past 20 years, and digital magazines are similarly vulnerable due to the subscription format.

Between 2017 and 2020 I contributed five articles to the magazine in the following issues:

• 2017, July-August (Marketing Strategies for Archery Coaches)
  
• 2018, July-August (Adaptive Archery)
  
• 2018, November-December (Teaching via Narrative Storytelling)
  
• 2020, January-February (Reinhart Target Ball Review)
  
• 2020, September-October (Trick Shots)

I regret not writing more articles. Contributing 1 or 2 articles per year was one of the highlights of teaching the sport, but I could have written more. I have been very busy doing other things like teaching, raising my son, and writing multiple series of fantasy books... But I could have contributed another article or two. Sadly, we writers have to learn to live with our regrets, just like archers have to learn to live with their botched shooting.

I have also been writing my own "how to book" with respect to archery, so perhaps I will devote more time in the near future towards finishing and publishing that book. Or I might solve my thirst to publish more articles by contributing to magazines like Traditional Bowhunter or TradArchers' World. We shall just have to see what happens.

One last bit of good news...

While the magazine is ending, the back issues will continue to be available. You can visit archeryfocusmagazine.com and get any of the back issues of the magazine dating back to the first issue from 1997. You can get unlimited access to 25 years worth of the magazine's back issues for $160 USD.

The 1000th Post of Cardio Trek

CardioTrek.ca recently surpassed 3.12 million visitors, but that is not the big news. This post is the 1000th post on www.cardiotrek.ca.

Yep. 1000.

Not bad, in my opinion.

I started teaching archery in 2009, but the business grew so fast via word-of-mouth that I eventually realized that I needed a dedicated website for it. So I started the website in December 2011, later got my personal training certificate because I wanted to be a "certified personal trainer" (the whole certification standard for personal trainers is bogus and meaningless by the way, what really matters is professionalism and experience, and I built my business gradually over time, capitalization on the idea that every blog post I did was building my business.

And it worked. I quit my other job and took up teaching sports full time, expanding to teaching boxing, swimming, ice skating and general personal training.

Eventually, because archery was so popular, I stopped teaching the other sports and focused solely on teaching archery. Which is part of the reason why most new blog posts on CardioTrek.ca are now about archery. That is my primary goal now and I no longer worry about trying to get boxing, swimming, ice skating or personal training clients.

I also have habitually accepted sponsored guest posts, creating a secondary source of income from the website, due to the site's popularity. I consider that to be a bonus that helps pay for my son's university tuition.

And finally my website is on the verge of going full circle... Where once upon a time I quit my job and took up personal training full time, at some point in 2024 or 2025 I expect to be quitting this job and taking up writing full time. My book sales are tripling or more each year, and if that trend continues then I will be able to quit my job again near the end of 2024 or the start of 2025 and focus solely on writing.

Writing 1000 posts over roughly 10 years wasn't easy either. Eg. In January 2013 I wrote 50 posts in just one month. That is 1.6 posts per day.

I kept writing 100+ posts per year for several years, but eventually in 2017 (when my son was born) it dropped to 60 per year. Then 50 in 2019 and 40 in 2020. (2020 was a bad year for many reasons.) Starting in 2017 I also started taking my fiction writing career more seriously, so between taking care of my son and writing fantasy books it was really no surprise that the number of posts tapered off.

And now here we are. August 2021 and I have written 1000 posts in less than 10 years. (Not true, a small percentage of them were sponsored guest posts by writers just wanting to advertise something.)

Still, this post is mine, and it is officially the 1000th post.

Note - I might retroactively go back and add posts to May, June and August to bring the total number of posts per month to 5 each. You may have noticed that some months have exactly 5 posts or exactly 10 posts. I just like having round numbers. I admit I am a perfectionist who likes symmetry.

And we archers tend to be perfectionists. ;) 

See Also

The 500th Post

The 700th Post