The Health Benefits Of Archery

It is no secret that the sport of archery is growing at a rapid rate. Bowhunting has seen a rise toward mainstream prominence, the National Archery in the Schools program has expanded exponentially, and archery leagues can be found in several cities.

There’s plenty of reasons for the rise in interest and popularity; From social interaction with fellow archers, to the enjoyment provided by an afternoon spent outdoors while shooting your bow, the sport of archery offers something of benefit to all of its participants.
However, few realize that archery can be extremely beneficial to your health as well.

The following are several of the most significant health benefits that the sport of archery provides to its participants.

Increased Heart Health
Unbeknownst to many, taking part in archery is a great way to improve your cardiovascular health. While many envision the use of a treadmill, or a jog around their neighborhood when they think of cardiovascular exercise, few realize that shooting their bow is also a heart-healthy activity.

The physical exertion that is required to shoot a bow elevates your heart rate, as does walking to and from your target when retrieving arrows. This gets your blood pumping and burns calories, in much the same way as other forms of exercise. The best part, about this, is that you are able to exercise in a manner that is enjoyable and does not feel forced. 

Muscle Strengthening
If you have ever drawn a bow, you are well aware that doing so requires an input of force on an archer’s behalf. As the driving force behind this input, your body’s muscles are strengthened with every successive day spent with a bow in hand. This building of muscle also makes it easier to draw a bow with the passing of time.

Your shoulder, back, chest, arm, and core muscle groups all receive a workout when shooting a bow. This can often be felt after a long day of practice, as the repetitive drawing of a bow begins to take its toll.

Stress Relief
Stress is known to be a leading cause of many secondary medical issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Luckily, archery is a wonderful way to blow off steam and cut out much of an individual’s day to day, or weekly stress. 

A significant portion of this stress relief stems from an archer's ability to escape the world's worries while basking in the tranquility of the outdoors. This can be quite a refreshing experience, and also offers a means to potentially increase one’s longevity by decreasing the risk of future ailments.

Hand-Eye Coordination Improvement
The success of an archer is highly dependent upon their level of hand-eye coordination. When shooting a bow, your mind must be able to relay messages to your brain regarding what, if any, adjustments are needed in your form. With time, an archer’s hand-eye coordination continues to improve, and they gain the ability to physically react more quickly to visual stimuli.

This is an important trait to develop, as hand-eye coordination provides us with the ability to complete a number of day to day tasks, such as tying our shoes or driving a vehicle. In a sense, shooting a bow to any degree of regularity allows an archer to be more efficient in other endeavors as well.

Increased Depth Of Focus
Even more so than raw physical ability, success in the sport of archery is heavily reliant upon one’s ability to focus on a singular task. When aiming at a target, you must be able to allow all other thoughts to fall by the wayside, in order to be precise in your arrow placement. However, this is not a trait that is gained overnight, or that comes naturally for most.

With regular practice comes an ever-increasing ability to live in the moment, and block out any distractions that can thwart your efforts. Those that shoot their bow frequently, often find that this level of focus carries over into other areas of their life as well.

The Healthy Archery Lifestyle
One of the most wonderful aspects of archery as a form of exercise is that it is passive in nature. While many archers might dread getting up early to visit the gym in the morning, they would likely jump at any opportunity to spend a few extra minutes sending arrows downrange. 

Learning and or becoming proficient at archery while promoting your mental and physical well being can be very enticing for many.
For archers, this is not just a whimsical thought, but a daily reality, as they take part in a healthy archery lifestyle.