With the New Year upon us and many New Year’s resolutions already being broken golf could be your answer to all of your problems. Was your New Year’s resolution to lose weight? Was it to hit the gym 7 days a week? Have you already fallen off the wagon? Here are a few reasons why golf is good for not only your body but also your mind! The first health benefit to playing golf in a healthy heart, any type of physical exercise helps to get the blood pumping to the heart! Walking, carrying your bag, and swinging a golf club all help to stimulate blood flow and your heart rate. Your risk of stroke and diabetes is greatly reduced by just playing golf! Playing golf can also help you stimulate your brain. Regular daily walking helps you to stimulate your brain circuits. The Alzheimer’s Society, says: 'Whether it is going for a jog or walking the golf course, keeping physically active is a great way to keep your heart and your brain healthy. By keeping active you make sure your brain has a good, strong blood supply, which is essential to help it function better now and in future.”
You can knock off that #1 New Year’s resolution just by playing the game of golf! Yes, you can lose weight playing golf. The golden number of steps that need to be taken per day to lose weight is 10,000. An 18 hole round of golf easily surpasses this number when walking but you can come really close even when you use a golf cart. Playing golf can reduce stress. Playing in the fresh air, socializing with golf buddies, and a mental challenge can all help you reduce stress that is caused during our work lives. Golf releases endorphins in your brain that make you feel good. Endorphins are the same thing that is released when we eat a bowl of Breyers Ice Cream or do other pleasurable activities. Playing golf can help you sleep better! When you combine exercise and fresh air, you have a deadly combo for a better night’s sleep. Regular exercise outdoors helps you to fall asleep faster and go into a deep sleep for longer periods of time. Better sleep also helps you muscles rest and repair after a long day.
For senior citizens, playing golf provides a method of exercise that has a low impact on their bodies. Golf is a great exercise for them because it gives them a very low risk of injury unlike going to the gym and hitting the weights or trying out your local CrossFit. The number one reason you want to take up golf this New Year is to live longer!! A recent study conducted found that people who play golf avidly have a 40% lower death rate than people who do not play the game! This means that if you play golf for a hobby than you will add 5 years onto your life based on recent research on life expectancy in the US. So, after all of this great info about the health benefits of golf and reasons why your New Year’s resolution should be altered to include more rounds of golf, you happen to still need more reasons to try. Than you can reach me anytime at the golf course or visit my website justinsigmon.com and I can help you come up with a few more reasons to try this game out.
Happy New Year!
Justin Sigmon, PGA