Playing sports is vital to our health. And among so many sports, golf can help (and a lot) to improve your physical condition, regardless of your age. Did you know that playing golf increases life expectancy by at least five years? In short, physical activity is essential for your fitness, and golf has components that go beyond exercise. Playing golf provides psychosocial contributions and adapts to all ages and genders.
The benefits of playing golf are multiple. First of all, it is a sport practiced outdoors. Playing 18 holes of golf involves walking around 8 kilometers, which allows you to consume more than 1,000 calories, reduce blood pressure and increase vitamin D levels. And with a unique addition: golfers are often happy while playing golf, stimulating dopamine, the famous happiness hormone. All this in a context that helps you to disconnect from your problems and improve your physical health and mind.
It also helps to reduce overweight. Therefore, it is considered one of the best sports to lose weight. Furthermore, this can be achieved without a lot of effort, as is the case with other sports. Being a quiet activity, calories are burned little by little.
At the same time, while playing golf, muscles, and bones are strengthened. A full golf swing strengthens the muscles of the back, abdomen, arms, and many others. Of course, swing from a correct posture, keeping your back straight and your legs slightly bent, with your head elevated and hips forward. A lousy position can be detrimental to any golfer.
Playing golf is a great way to reduce stress and create a sense of well-being. Physical activity secretes endorphins that produce euphoria and self-confidence, improve mood, help relax, and reduce anxiety. In addition, golf strengthens people’s hearts. Half an hour of daily walking lowers blood pressure, and the possibility of a heart attack is 20% less.
For this and more reasons, it is one of the sports most practiced by people over 60 years of age.