The benefits of exercise are well understood and accepted but a form of exercise that suits one person does not suit everybody. Some of us are marathon runners, others are swimmers and some even like a spot of hiking in the countryside.
It is important that you find something that suits your body so that you will stick with it and not give up. Many people are finding that golf is the sport that suits them. Once you know your single length irons from your putter, it is an easy sport to participate in. Here are seven reasons why your body would love for you to take up golf.
It’s good for your heart
Golf involves a lot of walking, carrying a bag and swinging your arms. This increases your heart rate and gets the blood pumping around the body. Exercise like this reduces your risk of having a stroke or heart attack and is great for your joints.
It stimulates your brain
Walking briskly on a regular basis strengthens the brain’s memory circuits. Exercise increases the blood flow to the brain which prevents disease such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.
It helps with weight loss
According to weight loss experts, you need to walk 10,000 steps a day to lose weight. If you walk around an 18-hole golf course you will easily exceed that so keep off the golf cart! It is estimated that a female golfer burns around 1,500 kCal during an 18-hole round. So, if you watch your diet and play golf regularly, the pounds will fall off!
It reduces stress
Walking in the fresh air and socializing will result in your body releasing endorphin’s which are the ‘happy’ hormone. As the levels of endorphins in your body rise, the stress levels will fall. There is also the added benefit of the mental challenge presented by golf which requires you to focus. This takes your mind off the other stress in your life.
It improves your sleep
Poor sleep can be caused by a number of factors. It can be related to your age, stress or a long-term illness. Playing golf helps you to sleep better because it involves exercise out in the fresh air. You will be able to go to sleep faster and wake up feeling more rested.
Injury rates are low
It is not impossible to injure yourself when playing golf but compared to many other sports the injury rates are very low. This is because it is low impact compared to sports that require you to run. It does not put such a strain on the joints. Also, it is not a contact sport like rugby or netball where you can get injured easily by other players.
It makes you live longer!
Some excellent research from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden has found that golfers have a 40% lower death rate which adds up to a 5-year increase in life expectancy.
