Golf – A Healthy Game for Your Heart
If you are one of the 2.3 million people in the UK living with heart disease and you’re looking for a form of gentle exercise that will benefit your circulation, golf could provide the answer. Although some people are sceptical of this, you actually get more exercise than you realise from a game, as during the course of an 18 hole round you can easily clock up at least 3 miles of walking. Therefore particularly if you play a number of rounds of golf each week, it can make an important contribution to your weekly activity levels.
Benefits for cardiovascular health
Besides burning calories, which is welcome if you are keen to lose weight, golf offers a number of other benefits towards a healthier heart. Walking regularly helps to exercise your cardiac muscle, improves your blood flow, reduces cholesterol levels and helps to keep your blood pressure under control. However, it is also a great way to reduce stress, which itself is a risk factor for circulatory diseases, owing to the adverse effect that it has on blood pressure that puts a strain on your heart and blood vessels. Golf is able to do this in a number of ways. When you exercise, your body releases feel-good hormones that enable you to feel more relaxed, and the impact of these may be even greater when playing in pleasant surroundings, with outdoor activities surrounded by greenery shown to boost your well-being further. Additionally, when concentrating on the game, you are able to at least temporarily forget your worries. Playing golf can further enhance your mental wellness – which impacts on your experience of heart disease and your physical well-being – through the opportunities for social interaction that it offers. Whether you come to play golf with friends, strike up new friendships or develop new links with your community, golf offers social benefits all-round.
Taking care of yourself during play
As well as thinking about protecting your heart, you will also need to think about your general health during a game. Although you are generally less likely to be injured playing golf than you would if participating in many other sports, there is still a possibility that this may occur. The most common golfing injuries are those to your back, elbow, wrist and head, and usually occur as a result of aggravating an existing injury, overusing your joints, poor technique, missing the ball or as a result of a fall. However, these can largely be prevented by taking precautions.
If you are new to golf, it is advisable to first invest in a course of lessons to ensure that you are using the correct techniques, so that you don’t place an unnecessary strain on your body. Even if you’re just playing for enjoyment, a well-fitting pair of golf shoes is a must, as is a pair of gloves, as these can help to protect you against certain injuries. Equally, don’t forget to tailor your clothes to the time of year and weather, as over-heating or letting yourself get cold can be an issue if you have an existing heart condition. If you already have joint problems, carrying your clubs may aggravate this, so a golf trolley is also a sensible idea in this case.
When it comes to the game itself, you should always warm-up and stretch-out before you begin play to prepare your muscles. Once on the course it’s essential to remain vigilant at all times and to always stand well back when someone is taking a swing at the ball. You also need to listen to your body during play. If you receive any indication that you may be overdoing it, it’s important to stop and rest. Equally, any sign that you may be injured should also not be ignored and instead you should seek help with first aid. For strains and sprains, remember to rest, apply ice and compression to the injured area, and to elevate it. Although most golfing injuries are minor, if you believe you have done more serious damage, you should however seek medical attention. As you never know when you might be injured – whether it’s on the golf course or going about your daily life – it may be wise to invest in a policy to cover your medical costs, as the waiting list for treatment for less severe injuries can be long on the NHS and private healthcare can be costly.
In summer also don’t forget to apply sunscreen, as you can easily burn without realising it, even on a cloudy day. Properly hydrating yourself is additionally important, especially as dehydration can impact upon your blood pressure. Therefore have a non-alcoholic drink before you start a game, take a bottle of water onto the course with you and top up your fluid levels once you have finished your round of golf.
Thanks to Claire Holt for providing us with this interesting article.
January 2014
If you are one of the 2.3 million people in the UK living with heart disease and you’re looking for a form of gentle exercise that will benefit your circulation, golf could provide the answer. Although some people are sceptical of this, you actually get more exercise than you realise from a game, as during the course of an 18 hole round you can easily clock up at least 3 miles of walking. Therefore particularly if you play a number of rounds of golf each week, it can make an important contribution to your weekly activity levels.
Benefits for cardiovascular health
Besides burning calories, which is welcome if you are keen to lose weight, golf offers a number of other benefits towards a healthier heart. Walking regularly helps to exercise your cardiac muscle, improves your blood flow, reduces cholesterol levels and helps to keep your blood pressure under control. However, it is also a great way to reduce stress, which itself is a risk factor for circulatory diseases, owing to the adverse effect that it has on blood pressure that puts a strain on your heart and blood vessels. Golf is able to do this in a number of ways. When you exercise, your body releases feel-good hormones that enable you to feel more relaxed, and the impact of these may be even greater when playing in pleasant surroundings, with outdoor activities surrounded by greenery shown to boost your well-being further. Additionally, when concentrating on the game, you are able to at least temporarily forget your worries. Playing golf can further enhance your mental wellness – which impacts on your experience of heart disease and your physical well-being – through the opportunities for social interaction that it offers. Whether you come to play golf with friends, strike up new friendships or develop new links with your community, golf offers social benefits all-round.
Taking care of yourself during play
As well as thinking about protecting your heart, you will also need to think about your general health during a game. Although you are generally less likely to be injured playing golf than you would if participating in many other sports, there is still a possibility that this may occur. The most common golfing injuries are those to your back, elbow, wrist and head, and usually occur as a result of aggravating an existing injury, overusing your joints, poor technique, missing the ball or as a result of a fall. However, these can largely be prevented by taking precautions.
If you are new to golf, it is advisable to first invest in a course of lessons to ensure that you are using the correct techniques, so that you don’t place an unnecessary strain on your body. Even if you’re just playing for enjoyment, a well-fitting pair of golf shoes is a must, as is a pair of gloves, as these can help to protect you against certain injuries. Equally, don’t forget to tailor your clothes to the time of year and weather, as over-heating or letting yourself get cold can be an issue if you have an existing heart condition. If you already have joint problems, carrying your clubs may aggravate this, so a golf trolley is also a sensible idea in this case.
When it comes to the game itself, you should always warm-up and stretch-out before you begin play to prepare your muscles. Once on the course it’s essential to remain vigilant at all times and to always stand well back when someone is taking a swing at the ball. You also need to listen to your body during play. If you receive any indication that you may be overdoing it, it’s important to stop and rest. Equally, any sign that you may be injured should also not be ignored and instead you should seek help with first aid. For strains and sprains, remember to rest, apply ice and compression to the injured area, and to elevate it. Although most golfing injuries are minor, if you believe you have done more serious damage, you should however seek medical attention. As you never know when you might be injured – whether it’s on the golf course or going about your daily life – it may be wise to invest in a policy to cover your medical costs, as the waiting list for treatment for less severe injuries can be long on the NHS and private healthcare can be costly.
In summer also don’t forget to apply sunscreen, as you can easily burn without realising it, even on a cloudy day. Properly hydrating yourself is additionally important, especially as dehydration can impact upon your blood pressure. Therefore have a non-alcoholic drink before you start a game, take a bottle of water onto the course with you and top up your fluid levels once you have finished your round of golf.
Thanks to Claire Holt for providing us with this interesting article.
January 2014