Some Good Reasons to Bowl

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You might be surprised to learn that Tenpin Bowling has more than a few health benefits.     From weight training and coordination to self-esteem building and social interaction; ten-pin bowling is rewarding to both your physical and mental well-being.

Physical health benefits – You probably don’t think about it, but those three or four steps you take on the approach to the lane are building muscle, increasing stamina, and burning fat. Most strength training exercises involve repetitive motions with weights. In bowling this is exactly what you’re doing, carrying and throwing an eight to sixteen pound ball repeatedly twelve to twenty-one times in a row. If you play three to five games, which most people do, that’s thirty-six to a hundred and five times you are making the same motion. Over time this will get easier and easier as you build stamina.

In addition, the bending and twisting that you do to roll the ball will work muscles that don’t otherwise get a workout in everyday activities. The action of rolling the ball down the lane is the physical equivalent to doing squats, weight lifting, and stretching all at the same time.

While you’re doing all this exercise you are focusing on balancing a ball in your hands, rolling it toward a target, and keeping your feet from crossing the foul line; these activities will work on hand-eye coordination skills and balance.

Psychological health benefits – The stress of everyday life can contribute to high blood pressure, asthma, stroke, heart attack, diabetes – the list continues. One of the greatest ways to combat this killer is to find a fun activity to distract you from those day-to-day stresses in your life. Ten-pin bowling is one such activity; not only is it fun it can also be a team sport that allows for socialization.

Unlike many competitive sports that involve constant participation on the part of the players; only allowing for social time before and after the game, bowling is a sport where you take your turn then sit down while others take their turns. This time sitting offers you a chance to cheer on your team mates and socialize – building and strengthening relationships. As your game improves you will also find yourself reveling at your successes, building your self-esteem when others join in your reveling.

Ten-pin bowling can be a great way to make friends, burn calories, and tone up while having fun. If nothing else it can give you an excuse to give to your wife when you order the next round,

 “It’s okay honey, I’ve just spent the past hour working out. I deserve it.”

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It’s fairly safe to say that everyone recognises the importance of physical activity or exercise to foster and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In Australia, so much emphasis is placed on Sport!  Governments at all levels and Health Industry Organisations have implemented a myriad of schemes and inducements to encourage people of all ages and abilities to become actively involved in sporting activities. Thanks to the efforts of so many, Sporting involvement is almost universally recognised as one of the best healthy lifestyle choices that we can make.

SO WHY ARE SO MANY OF US, ESPECIALLY OUR CHILDREN, STILL NOT TAKING UP THE CHALLENGE?