Cardio exercise is great for keeping yourself in shape and preparing your muscles for lengthy exercise and outdoor activities. Golfers need cardio for several reasons, one it helps prepare your body for a long day on the golf course, keeps your heart rate down between shots, and can even help prevent injury.
Each of the three cardio benefits listed above is critical for success on the golf course. Although not a high-impact sports like soccer or football, golf requires a fair amount of cardiovascular health to maintain performance on the course. On long summer days, golfers with poor cardiac health will find themselves cramping. Plus, the heat can be uncomfortable too, so wearing your bucket hat and looking into your cardio health is life-changing.
If your muscular structure is not used to being stressed or variations in oxygen content, your performance will suffer. Increased cardiovascular health can even add distance to your shots by increasing muscle performance. As the heart is able to pump blood more efficiently through the body, oxygen is forced into muscles providing a boost in performance. Also, before a round of golf, you may enjoy an energizing caffeine-free GOLFERAID performance blend drink, the best golf drink on the market.
One thing that separates top-level golfers from the rest is being able to score big shots in critical moments. The brain is the control system of the body and the more oxygen going into the brain, the more rested and performing it becomes. Although many golfers ride in carts, walking a round of golf can be a cardio workout. Some courses have terrain differences, hills, and non-flat surfaces.
Because cardio is not as important in golf as it is in marathon running or soccer, you can maintain healthy cardiovascular health without running for hours on end. A few ways to maintain cardio health include taking brisk walks or walking on an incline. If you don’t have access to a treadmill you can find a hilly location to walk up.
Walking on an incline has a lot of benefits compared to walking flat. Not only is the cardio workout better compared to walking on a flat surface, but it is also a better workout for your legs. Again, you don’t need to be sprinting up hills to receive a good cardio workout.
Photo by Jopwell from Pexels
Looking at golf from a cardio perspective, if you walked a 7000-yard course, it translates to roughly 4 miles. If you are able to walk 4 miles a week, you will be able to manage walking a course. Breaking down the 7000 yards even further, taking an average hole length of roughly 400 yards which is about a quarter-mile. Walking a quarter mile is only one time around a track which can be done in a few minutes’ time.
Going deeper, your longest continuous walk on a golf course will be between 250 and 300 yards, likely from the tee box. This is under a quarter-mile. A good tip to keep yourself in golf cardio shape is finding a short hill and walk up and down it several times a day. And of course, a good pair of golf shoes is a must. A quarter-mile only takes ten to fifteen minutes depending on how fast you are walking.
C O N C L U S I O N
Overall good cardio health is needed to maintain a consistent golf game. You don’t necessarily have to be a marathon runner to get in excellent golf cardio shape. A short quarter-mile walk every day will give you enough stamina and strength to play an entire round of golf without any issues.
Cover photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jordan Fuller is a retired golfer who also owns a golf publication site, Golf Influence. He has loved golf since he was a kid and feels golf has been significantly helpful in improving his overall health.
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Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman
Now that many of us are spending so much time in our homes, social media has become flooded with creative, Pinterest-worthy photos of plant-filled home offices and living spaces. But what are the top tricks and benefits to creating your own, personal jungle? For starters, having indoor plants has been proven to help reduce air pollutants, stress and potential toxins in your home. They’ve also been shown to help boost creativity and productivity up to 15 percent.
Interested in cultivating your green thumb? Check out these top tips for promoting self-care with plants in your very own home.
TOXIN REDUCING PLANTS
Now more than ever, many of us are trying to create healthy, happy spaces that we can enjoy spending extra time in. Having indoor plants not only amplifies the visual appeal of your home, but can also help to remove toxins and carbon dioxide. Try these plants to help improve your environment.
- Snake Plant: This slow-growing toxin remover is a great addition for any houseplant newbie. Requiring minimal light and little water, you’ll be able to love this one for years to come.
- Aloe Vera: From the succulent family, this carbon dioxide converter requires little water but does enjoy a lot of indirect sunlight. Not only does it produce a good amount of oxygen for your home, you can use it on sunburns too.
- Spider Plant: The spider plant is known to reduce pollutants and pump out oxygen. While they are exceedingly easy to care for, they do prefer bright light.
PRODUCTIVITY BOOSTING PLANTS
Feeling a little unmotivated? Incorporating plants into your work area has been shown to give your brain a boost! Try adding these plants to help increase concentration and create a calming environment that produces a positive workspace.
- Rosemary: Increasing your focus, this plant needs bright sunlight and consistent watering. Place it near a window and take in the herbaceous scent to increase your concentration.
- Philodendron: This easygoing addition to your workspace can thrive in either low or bright light with consistent waterings. Helping to soften the edges of any angular office, try putting this plant up on a shelf and enjoy feeling more at ease and ready to work.
- Parlor Palm: Not really feeling like working today? If you have ample space in your home office, this large potted palm can help give you a boost of creativity and fresh air. It even made NASA’s list of best plants to have in your home!
MOOD ENHANCING PLANTS
The practice of taking care of ourselves as well as something else can help to boost your mood, reduce stress and create a feeling of contentment. Especially now, our environment can play a huge role in our self-care journey and feelings of happiness. Try out these plants to help clear your mind and bring you some peace.
- Lavender: Long known to help ease tensions and stress, this calming herb loves to be in small places. This aromatherapeutic plant is sure to lull you into a state of blissful relaxation.
- Lily of the Valley: This not fussy, drought tolerant plant has been known to boost moods simply with it’s fragrance. Try putting a small potted lily of the valley in your living room to create a positive environment.
- Valerian: The slumber inducing valerian loves sun and regular waterings. This useful plant is perfect for bedrooms as it’s known to help banish insomnia and help you get some much needed sleep.
C O N C L U S I O N
Self-care isn’t just keeping fit and eating a nutritious diet, it’s also about taking into account your environment and its impacts on your physical and emotional health. Incorporating the right plant(s) into your space can have positive, healthful impacts. Try bringing some of these houseplants home today and watch your life bloom!
All photos courtesy of @cozy.happy.home
About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.
> > > Stay well.
Here are snippets from a recent article on HealthLine.com about the natural properties of Turmeric and Curcumin:
"Turmeric may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence."
Many studies have shown that it may have major benefits for your body and brain, including the following:
1. Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It is a very strong antioxidant that may help reduce mild inflammation from everyday stress.
TIP: It helps to consume black pepper with it (which contains piperine), enhancing the absorption of curcumin by 2,000% (3).
Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.
2. Curcumin Is a Natural Compound That Helps Combat Mild Inflammation
...Scientists now believe that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in many health issues.
Curcumin naturally helps fight mild everyday inflammation on a molecular level...
3. Turmeric Increases the Antioxidant Capacity of the Body
Curcumin has powerful antioxidant effects. It neutralizes free radicals on its own but also stimulates your body's own antioxidant enzymes.
4. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function
Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of new neurons and boosts overall brain function...
The Bottom Line
Turmeric and especially its most active compound curcumin have many scientifically-proven health benefits.
It’s a potent antioxidant that may help reduce mild inflammation while also helping to improve overall well-being.
Read the full original article at HealthLine.com: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric
BONUS: Here's a delicious recipe from Ambitious Kitchen to help you incorporate turmeric into your morning latte:
> > > Live well.
