Tired Of The Gym? Try Golfing!

One type of physical activity that many people often overlook as a form of ‘physical activity’ is golfing. You may enjoy the odd game of golf here and there but you’d never consider it an actual workout.
But, before you start that train of thought too quickly, you may want to reconsider. Golf can actually be the perfect activity for you to do to get you out of the gym and trying something new.
Let’s have a look at some of the benefits that you’ll get from a good game of golf.
Low Intensity Cardio
If you’ve been working out for some time, you likely already know that high intensity cardio in the form of interval training is what burns body fat very rapidly. As such, you’ve begun implementing it into your workout program a few times a week.
What you must remember though is that this form of training is incredibly intense for the body and you do need to give yourself a break from time to time.
Golf is the perfect way to do that. Over the course of 18 holes you will walk a number of miles, all done at a low intensity. So this will be far less taxing on the body and serve as active recovery, plus you’ll burn a good 700 calories/9 holes doing it.
For anyone seeking weight loss, this is a very good thing.
Just as long as you do walk of course and not use a golf cart.
Improved Shoulder Strength
Another benefit that golfing provides is improved shoulder strength. The golf swing is going to take quite a bit of power, coordination, and muscular agility, so this will help to enhance your overall development in this muscle group.
Sometimes what you really need to do is get out of the gym and perform an exercise much different from your traditional weight lifting exercise to really see notable improvements in your muscle development.
Increased Spinal Column Flexibility
Finally, the last benefit to participating in golf on a regular basis is that you’ll help to increase your spinal column flexibility. As you take each serve you’re going to be moving the spinal column through a wide range of motion, loosening up the ligaments and muscles in this area.
It’s vital that you do perform some stretching before each golf game however to ensure that you’re warmed up and don’t tear any muscles.
Just like all other physical activity, a proper warm-up will be key to good results.
So there you can see some of the top three benefits that you’ll get from including golf in your workout routine. While it’s definitely not going to challenge you from a cardiovascular point of view or be quite as intense as a set of lunges hold some dumbbells for example, don’t discount the fact that it is physical activity and it is going to get you up and active.
If you just can’t stand the thought of another session in the gym on any given day but really would like to go golfing – do it. You’ll still receive excellent benefits.