Golf is Good for Your Health
by Rob Daniels
Everything about our lives is busy. We not only do our work
at work now a days, but carry work with us. Cell phones, video
conferencing and wireless Internet allow work to be done anywhere
and anytime. Technologies advancements have helped business
reach across the globe and do more work with greater speed
than ever before. Yet, some businesses are seeing a decrease
in workers productivity. A person can find themselves asking,
"how can this be?"
Well, technology allows people to complete tasks with less
physical exertion. Escalators, elevators, and cars make it
easy to get where you are going without moving very much.
We even have buttons to open car doors for us and save the
time and effort to do it ourselves. Along with the weight
control benefits of exercise lost due to all this technology,
we also lose the benefits for reducing stress that come from
exercise. And with stress is on the rise for many Americans
these benefits are greatly needed. Stress reduces work productivity
and causes businesses millions of dollars in lost work due
to this reduced productivity and absenteeism associated with
stress.
Lucky for the golf lover, golfing is not only recreational,
but also a great healthy activity. A key to success in using
golfing to reduce stress is to get all the exercise out of
it that you can. If a person walks the golf course they walk
4-5 miles. Even though it is stop and go walking, it is still
beneficial. An average American needs to take 10,000 steps
a day to maintain weight, that is about 5 miles. Golf is the
perfect solution for the goal to move more. Unfortunately,
there is starting to be a trend to use a cart while golfing
instead of walking. It has been said, "walking is the way
that golf is meant to be played." Supporting this statement
is that fact that participants in the PGA tournaments are
required to walk the course. Part of playing the game is having
the endurance not only to play, but also to travel in between
holes. Playing traditional golf, including walking the course,
also shows respect for the game.
Other benefits of walking, other than reducing stress, are
time to unwind and slow down. Because most people are busy
all the time, and always in a hurry to get to the next task.
Walking the golf course allows a person to relax and take
the time to fully enjoy what they are doing. When you have
a cart, you quickly get in it to move quickly to the next
hole. The person who does this robs them self of the time
to look at the course and enjoy being outside. Slowing down
gives you the time to think, contemplate and figure out life's
problems. Stress is reduced not only for the body, through
exercise, but also the mind through pondering. If you aren't
able to walk the entire time due to lack of conditioning or
poor health consider these suggestions:
1) walk 9 holes, use a cart for 9 holes
2) if golfing with a partner each walk half the time
and use the cart half the time
3) take someone with you as a driver, to transport
only between holes
4) start by walking everything you can other than the
actual travel to each hole
5) Take the stairs more often, park further away from
the fronts of businesses, and take a 10 minute walk on your
lunch break to work up to more physical endurance.
6) Take time to slow down, enjoy the course and get
all the benefits that golf has to offer.
About the Author
Rob Daniels is a professional golfer with a passion for a
number of sports. Additional information available on Rob
at Golf Clubhouse http://www.golf-clubhouse.net
and Horse Stall http://www.horse-stall.net
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