Calgon, Bowl Me Away!

The first time I went bowling recently I was surprised by the calories I burned and that came as an unintended side effect to the fun I was having. The next time I went bowling, I ended up with some muscle soreness in my legs I wasn't expecting.  I've started to feel like bowling is one of those "Buy 1.5 hours of sun-free entertainment, burn calories and build strength for free!" deals (I'm okay with that!).

So, I did some research and outside of being super-fun, bowling has a ton of lesser known benefits:

• Weight bearing sports like bowling help to keep bones strong and healthy.
• On average, 3 games of bowling has the equivilent steps of walking 1 mile.
• Most major muscle groups are involved in bowling
• On approach, leg muscles are engaged.
• During the pushaway, upper back and arm muscles are used to support the ball.
• Shoulder, upper back, and upper chest muscles are used for the armswing.
• Core muscles keep the upperbody stable and add speed to the backswing.
• When releasing the ball the arm, wrist and upper chest muscles power through and can be used to direct the ball to have a broader curve.
• The heart mucles pump faster to give addtional oxygen to all muscles used
• Bowling is anerobic exercise and very similar to walking with free weights 
• Psychosocially, bowling can improve friendships with friends/family which can reduce stress

Now for that burn! This site has a neat little guage for how many calories you'll approximately burn in your bowling session.  Of course this can vary based on your level of intensity, but it is amazing to see what you're body is doing while your brain is having a blast!

When was the last time you bowled? 
Are you a master of the <100 game (like yours truly)?