Reference - Take Care
of Mind and Body - Play Golf
According to Cardiologist Dr. Edward A.
Palank, "walking the golf course lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol levels, while leaving high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
cholesterol alone."
Then there's the report from a Swedish
Medical study that found Golf provided the equivalent of "40 to 70% of
maximum aerobic power" which is the equivalent of a 45-minute aerobics
fitness class.
All of a sudden, playing Golf makes a
lot of healthy sense. It especially makes sense for those people whose
work and lifestyles lean toward the more sedentary.
So, how does playing a round of Golf
accomplish all of these major medical miracles? For starters, just being
outdoors generates healthy responses from your body. Exposure to
sunlight prompts the body to manufacture Vitamin D, and it signals the
brain to release certain endorphins which actually lift your spirits and
enhance your mood.
But there's a lot more going on behind
your putts and drives than just good moods and a dose of Vitamins.
According to the August, 2005 issue of the "Harvard Men's Health Watch",
the average golfer walks at least four miles during an 18 hole game, and
that walk not only provides a great workout for your heart, but it helps
to lower your blood pressure as well. Of course, if you're driving your
cart around those 18 holes, then the heart-health benefits are greatly
reduced.
Weight loss and weight maintenance are
two more health benefits that come free with your Green Fees. If you
carry your own clubs, and walk the entire course, you can expect to burn
as many as 500 calories per game. But even if you drive around the
course, you can burn at least 200 calories for your efforts. Just make
sure that you don't put them all back on when you reach the 19th Hole!
Hand-in-hand with the benefits of weight
loss comes the additional benefits of muscle exercise and toning. In
fact, Golf is one of the few low-impact exercises that work most of the
body's major muscle groups including:
* abductors * adductors * biceps *
deltoids * dorsi * erectors * extensors * flexors * gluteals *
hamstrings * infraspinatus * internal and external obliques * latissimus
* pectorals * quadriceps * rhomboids * subscapularis * supraspinatus *
terses minor * trapezius * triceps
And even if you've never heard of half
of those muscle groups, you body knows exactly where each of them are
located, and it thanks you very much for taking the time to exercise
them frequently.
So there you have it. Not only is golf
both fun and addictive, but it's an excellent way to take care of your
heart, body, and mind all at the same time!
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