| FT Magazine - JUN-JUL 2006 |
 |
|
Nutritional Know-How
Savor the Flavors of Heart-Healthy Meals
All materials courtesy of Wal-Mart.
Variety is, certainly, the spice of life-and the key to smart, healthy menu planning.
If you think meals that are "good for you" mean hours spent shopping and preparing for bland, boring dinners--it's time for an attitude adjustment! Great-tasting, healthy meals don't have to require a lot of kitchen time nor do they have to break your budget.
Vibrant flavors are the key to irresistible meals that are also good for your family's health. And choosing healthy, convenient ingredients can help create shortcuts in preparation time.
Variety is, certainly, the spice of life-and the key to smart, healthy menu planning. When planning meals, select from a wide variety of meat, poultry and fish, fruits and vegetables, dairy and whole grain products. By choosing wisely from foods that are low in saturated fat and cholesterol, it's easy to control calorie intake, guard your family's heart health and allow you to present interesting dishes that never leave anyone feeling deprived.
"We all want to enjoy meals at home that remind us of our favorite restaurant dishes," said DeDe Priest, Wal-Mart senior vice president for grocery. "If those meals are easy to make, inexpensive and delicious-the fact that they're also healthy is an added bonus. The recipes on this page are great examples that wholesome and flavorful can go hand-in-hand."
Grilled Mustard Chicken
4 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes* Cook Time: 30 minutes
8 chicken thighs or 4 small chicken breast halves, skin removed (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
1. Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken pieces in resealable plastic bag; set aside.
2. Stir together mustard, vinegar, oil, thyme, garlic and red pepper. Pour over chicken; seal bag. Marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
3. Preheat grill for direct cooking. Drain chicken and discard marinade. Place chicken, bone side up, on grill rack. Grill directly over medium heat 25 to 35 minutes or until no longer pink, turning once.
4. Sprinkle chicken with green onion before serving.
*Marinating time extra.
Per serving: 181 calories, 6g fat, 94mg cholesterol, 578mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, 22g protein, 0g fiber.
Lemon Dill Salmon
4 Servings
Prep Time: 2 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes
1 (12-ounce) salmon fillet
1/4 teaspoon garlic pepper, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice concentrate
1. Heat broiler. Place salmon, skin side down, on broiler pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon garlic pepper. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix remaining 1/8 teaspoon garlic pepper and remaining ingredients. Spread dill mixture evenly over salmon. Broil 3 to 5 minutes more or until thickest part of salmon flakes easily with fork.Total broil time will be about 10 minutes per inch of fillet thickness.
Per serving: 155 calories, 9g fat, 56mg cholesterol, 67mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate, 17g protein, 0g fiber.
Pantry-To-Plate Tips
• Keep color in mind when you plan and shop. A colorful array of vegetables is not only eye-appealing but also a healthy way to eat!
• Look for high-flavor, low-calorie or no-fat ingredients and condiments that deliver great taste. Lemon juice, tomato paste, mustard, vinegar, herbs and spices all add "punch" to menus.
• Cook once, eat twice. Learn to include "planned-over" meals: grilled chicken today (make twice as much as needed), chicken fajitas tomorrow.
• Cook like a professional chef and do prep work ahead of time. Make side dishes that can be reheated easily; marinate meat or poultry for the grill the night before; do any chopping the night before as you're cleaning up the kitchen.
• Today, tasty homemade meals incorporate quality convenience items. Shop for already-chopped vegetables and salad fixings, pre-cut fruit, bakery-fresh
whole grain breads and prepared sauces and dressings.
• Check the freezer section. Remember that fruits and vegetables are frozen at the peak of season to preserve nutrients and offer convenience and less waste, along with great taste and nutrition.
• Cook on the weekend for the week ahead. Prepare larger meals to provide leftovers for another meal. Freeze leftovers in lunch-size portions.
• When entertaining, set the table the night before and do any kitchen prep work ahead of time.
Visit the Idea Center at www.walmart.com for more delicious, quick and easy healthy recipes.
Train Your Brain
Get Results--No Sweat Required
By Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS, ACE
If you're doing everything right by spending enough time in the gym, maintaining a wholesome and nutritious meal plan, following the advice of your trainer and getting plenty of rest, but if you're not incorporating mental training into your program, you're not maximizing your full potential.
Mental training is what separates good or great performances from exceptional ones. To be physically outstanding, you have to train your brain. Controlling your thoughts is something even very committed athletes and exercise enthusiasts often overlook. Mental preparation and attitude before and during training are what gets you through a 20-mile run in the rain and beating your best time. Whether you're seriously committed to developing muscle and definition, want to be a better basketball player or perfect your golf swing, you must include mental training.
The more competitive you become, the more important your mental game becomes. Tiger Woods visually rehearses each aspect of his swing prior to picking up his club. Like your physical skills, your mental skills will improve through practice. If your mental game needs strengthening, it's time to give your mind a workout.
Mental training can:
• Increase motivation
• Strengthen your focus and concentration
• Tap into your unconscious
• Find your ideal "psyched up" state
• Sharpen your imagery and mental rehearsal
• Build mental toughness
Mental training will help you develop the outlook and skills you need to succeed as a recreational exerciser or a competitive athlete. Some of our most outstanding and ageless athletes rely on mental training, including all-time basketball great Michael Jordan.
You can incorporate mental exercises into a physical workout by learning, developing and practicing specific psychological techniques. Some of those techniques include:
• Short- and long-term goal setting-Short term can be as brief as each workout and even each set. Goals should be specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and have a deadline. Having clear goals in your mind gives you a mental picture of the outcome you aspire to, helps keep you on track and moving in the direction you desire.
• Positive thinking and affirmation-Having sayings in your head that are rehearsed will be critical when it comes time to dig down deep for the physical ability to perform. Phrases like "If it's going to be it's up to me," "I am unstoppable," and "I am a champion" can mean the difference in success or failure when the going gets tough.
• Performance profiling-Mentally rehearse and visualize exactly how you will perform throughout your event. Picture the positions your body will be in, how efficiently you will be breathing, the strength in your legs, the balance of your torso, the postures necessary to successfully perform and so on. There is a proven transfer from the mental to the physical.
• Motivational strategies-Know what makes you tick. How are you inspired? Where does your competitive drive most originate? Know precisely what to say to yourself when you are called upon to perform.
• Relaxation and complete breathing-Whether your event involves a team or is done solo, or it requires gross or fine motor skills, breathing for relaxation and concentration can keep you centered and in control of both your moves and your opponents moves.
• Attention control techniques-If you find yourself becoming physically or mentally fatigued, having a technique to regain you focus can quickly change your state-of-mind and put you back in the game performing your best. For example, you may see a pitcher adjust his cap as part of a ritual to refocus solely on the upcoming pitch rather than become lost in the stakes of the entire game.
• Self-coaching-You can be your own worst enemy, or your biggest fan. When you are called upon to engage your physical skills, become your own internal coach. Use the best advice given to you by coaches as well as your own good judgment.
Just as you train your muscles by lifting weights, you can develop mental skills by practicing them diligently and consistently. You can build the body you've always wanted and perform at your best when you harness the power of mind and muscle.
Many successful athletes have described their best performance as a time when everything "seemed to flow" or they were "in the zone." Their movements appear automatic and they are completely focused. Usually this experience is accompanied by a strong sense of confidence and being in control. Sports psychologists describe this experience as the "ideal performance state."
To get into an "ideal performance state," you need to first improve your performance through mental strategies that help you overcome obstacles and refine your workouts. The process also involves dealing with the pressures of competition, finding ways to increase satisfaction and enjoyment and promoting healthy self-esteem.
Mental training can also provide assistance with injury rehabilitation. When injured, you can take a more active role in your healing processes by engaging both your conscious and unconscious mind to restore a sense of wholeness and health. In a fascinating experiment, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation discovered that a muscle could be strengthened just by thinking about exercising it. For 12 weeks (five minutes a day, five days per week), a team of 30 healthy young adults imagined either using the muscle of their little finger or of their elbow flexor. Dr. Vinoth Ranganathan and his team asked the participants to think as strongly as they could about moving the muscle being tested, to make the imaginary movement as real as they could.
The little-finger group increased their pinky muscle strength by 35 percent, compared to a control group that did no imaginary exercises and showed no strength gains. The other group increased elbow strength by 13.4 percent. What's more, brain scans taken after the study showed greater and more focused activity in the prefrontal cortex than before. The researchers attributed the strength gains to improvements in the brain's ability to signal the participant's muscles.
Try the following exercise as an example of the power of mind/body training. Close your eyes and concentrate on your physical performance. Be acutely aware of the space you occupy as you visualize your legs, chest, back, hips, neck, breathing, etc. As you explore your physical movement, connect with your breathing and release all unnecessary tension out of your muscles. Discover the increased focus you develop. Visualize yourself performing, relaxed and powerful. It'll take practice to clear your head of "noise" and implement a mind/body training routine. Through enhanced awareness of your body, you will be able to perform more efficiently and reach desired goals sooner. Ultimately, using mental training will increase your performance and help you reach your full potential.
Supplement Solutions
From A to Zinc
Selecting a Quality Multi-Vitamin
By Kristi Mudie CPT and Korey Toensing DC
The last edition of FT Magazine contained an article called "The Supplement Maze" which cut through some of the confusion and misinformation regarding weight gain formulas, fat burners, MEGA-this and MUSCLE-that products and suggested avoiding the disappointment often associated with these marketing driven products by reinforcing a healthy balanced diet with "foundational supplements". The multi-vitamin is a foundational supplement that plays a supportive role to a well-balanced eating plan. Any pills, shakes or bars you take will be nearly ineffective without adequate vitamins and minerals, a consistent exercise regimen, a balanced diet and the sleep your body needs.
If you are currently training at Fitness Together you've already taken the first step toward meeting your body's needs. You made the decision to start a consistent exercise program tailored to your needs and you've probably been guided into making healthy dietary changes and encouraged to make sure you're getting enough rest. The next step is finding a multi-vitamin or true "supplement" to ensure your body is getting its adequate supply of vitamins and minerals.
When talking about any form of supplementation it is important to realize that the criteria used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the health products industry differs greatly from the pharmaceutical or food processing industries. The supplement manufacturer is responsible for making sure the product is safe and its claims are truthful. The FDA doesn't get involved until after the product has already been introduced and put on the market. The FDA is only responsible for taking action against unsafe supplements after they've reached the public.
Generally, manufacturers don't have to register their products with the FDA and there are no specifications or guidelines to make sure every manufacturer uses a standardized quality of ingredients. Therefore, it is very important to research any sort of supplement you are putting into your body.
Look for brands that willingly subject their products to quality control tests or are written up in independent reports or journals as being high-quality products. High-quality products will meet a higher percentage of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) and have an appropriate balance of complementing and supporting vitamins and minerals.
Another important reason to select a high-quality multi-vitamin is its digestibility. Even if a multi-vitamin actually contains the vitamins and minerals it claims, the capsule or coating of the pill may inhibit absorption and even prevent absorption from occurring. Poor quality multi-vitamins with ineffective absorption can pass through the digestive system without any benefit to the user.
Two brands that willingly subject their products to quality control tests or have been written up in independent reports or journals are Shaklee's "Vita-Strip" and Sunrider's MetaBalance 44. We do not recommend any specific brands, but do know they have stringent quality control standards and have been independently studied. If the label states the product contains 300 milligrams of calcium, we know it contains high quality, contaminate free calcium.
When looking for the appropriate balance of vitamins and minerals in a supplement, knowing your body is the key. Our bodies are designed to run on food and water. Those are our fuel. Our food provides the vitamins and minerals that work together to keep all of our body's systems healthy and functioning.
One example of vitamins and minerals working together is the relationship between calcium and vitamin D. In grocery stores you can find milk (abundant in calcium) fortified with vitamin D. Calcium is essential for healthy teeth and bones and also the maintenance and function of muscle tissue. Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb and use the calcium we get in our diet. We can ingest as much calcium as we can tolerate, but without vitamin D we won't absorb nearly enough.
Calcium also works synergistically with magnesium. For a muscle fiber to contract it needs calcium, to relax it needs magnesium. They work together to ensure our muscles (including our heart) contract and relax smoothly. A good multi-vitamin will contain healthy levels of these three vitamins and minerals as well as a host of others.
Look for a multi-vitamin that also contains all of the vitamins of the "B" family. They are designed to work together to maintain the integrity of our nervous system, and play a vital role in the conversion of fats, proteins and carbohydrates into energy. If you're taking a vitamin that doesn't meet adequate RDA dosages of the B vitamins, look for a B-complex supplement.
Another fundamental vitamin partnership is the relationship between vitamins C and E. They are known antioxidants, which are elements shown to fight damaging and potentially cancer-causing free-radicals. Their potency is dramatically increased when taken together, so a well-balanced multi-vitamin should contain adequate RDA dosages of these vitamins as well.
It is important to take your diet into consideration when selecting a multi-vitamin. There are numerous synergistic relationships between vitamins and minerals. For example, someone who is lactose intolerant may want extra calcium in a multi-vitamin since they won't get it through dairy products. It is important to remember you are only supplementing your diet-food should be your primary source of vitamins and minerals to meet your body's needs.
However, our cropland has become increasingly stripped of its natural mineral content. Our produce is often genetically modified and treated with herbicides and pesticides. And our food in general has become more and more processed and as a result, we are losing some of the basic nutritional value in our produce, meats and dairy products. Supplementation with multi-vitamins or single supplements has become necessary to maintain good health.
A balanced diet that meets your body's nutritional needs and a consistent exercise program are two of the best ways to get healthy and stay that way. We hope this information has helped equip you with the knowledge necessary to optimize your diet and exercise regimen with a high quality, balanced multi-vitamin or supplement.
Real People - Real Results
Juli Baxter
By Jeanette Hurt
 |
Photo by Lee Wickersheimer |
When New Berlin resident Juli Baxter initially came to Fitness Together, her goal was to lose weight. Although this 50-year-old lost the weight--and went from a size 18 down to a size 12--she discovered two bigger benefits from working out: managing stress and finding more energy.
Employed as a supervisor in information services for Aurora Healthcare--and as a part-time barista at Starbucks--Baxter works an average of 70 hours a week. And that's on top of being a wife and having the responsibilities of caring for an aging parent. As this month's success story, Baxter also finds time to work out at Fitness Together twice a week and exercises on her own. She's committed to a healthy lifestyle--one she was introduced to four years ago when she discovered Fitness Together. Baxter and one of her trainers, Pete Piranio, BS, CSCS and owner of Fitness Together, took time to answer our questions.
With your heavy workload, how do you manage to find time to work out?
Baxter: "I discovered by exercising that it really decreased my stress level. I call exercising my decompression time. Even when at work, we were in the midst of rolling out 14 hospitals within an 18-month period, I never missed a session. Now, I definitely won't stop exercising, I won't stop with my program. I know that when I leave here, I am going to feel less stressed and have more energy."
Piranio: "If you have a lot of stress in your life, you can actually decrease your ability to lose weight because of hormones. Also, one of the ways many people decompress from work is to eat food. One of the biggest causes of overeating is stress."
Baxter: "I would agree with Pete because I was an emotional eater. I used to come home late at night, and I didn't feel like cooking, and that bag of potato chips looked really good as a meal."
How did Fitness Together help you stop your emotional eating and your potato chip meals?
Baxter: "I kept a food journal, and after a while, I could tell which days of the week were really stressful days for me. Also, instead of eating five small meals a day, I used to miss meals. What changed is I would plan for those days that were really stressful so I had good choices I could make. I was never a breakfast eater, but now I will have a protein bar and a piece of fruit. We looked at my food journal and discovered I was not getting enough protein."
Piranio: "Juli participated in our Eat Nutritional Program, which is a six to eight weeks program. It's not a diet--it's a common sense approach to eating."
Baxter: "My choices, in general, were pretty good, but the first thing I did was I cut out all my soda. I was drinking diet, but not caffeine free. I also started drinking eight glasses of water ever day and bringing my water bottle everywhere with me. Then, the other thing with eating is, I always have a protein, a starchy carb and a fiber-filled carb. I found out I was not as hungry when I was getting a good, basic balance."
Piranio: "She would skip meals and then set herself up for failure. Even with making good selections, you overeat if you skip meals. You need to stabilize your blood sugar. She learned about the hunger scale--you don't wait until you're starving to eat, and you don't eat until you're full, you eat until you're satisfied."
Besides eating breakfast and having more balanced meals, how else have your nutritional habits changed?
Baxter: "I have learned that there are things I need to eat before my workout and after my workout. I think that's really helped. I have gained a lot of muscle."
Piranio: "Do you feel like you've bulked up?"
Baxter: "No. I feel like I am more defined. You can really see my muscles, but it's not bulk. It's toned definition."
Piranio: "One other thing is she probably burns 500 calories more a day because of her muscles."
How often do you work out?
Baxter: "Right now, I work out twice a week. When I first began, it was three days a week, then I went up to four days a week, and then down to three, and now it's two times a week. My workouts have progressed enough that I can work out just two times a week. Now, there isn't a part of my body that I don't work. When I first started, I didn't have the stamina. I began by using three pound weights--now I do 20 pounds."
Piranio: "She probably made her greatest progress when she was working out four times a week, but she's more educated now and can come in just two times a week."
When you started at Fitness Together, did you exercise much?
Baxter: "I walked my dog and that was about it. I used to be a couch potato. When you come in, there's an assessment, and part of it is to go up and down on stairs, and you should be able to do it for three minutes. I didn't even do it for a minute. At my next assessment, I made it through the whole three minutes, and now, if you asked me to do it, I could do it for as long as you wanted me to. So many things have changed since I started at Fitness Together. Since I started exercising, I have had only one cold, and I work in a place where everyone else around me is always catching the latest bug. My immune system is strong. I used to get sick at least two or three times a year, and I always caught whatever anyone else had."
Has it been hard to maintain your new lifestyle?
Baxter: "As women, we think we have to be perfect, and I think that's not true. At Fitness Together, you even have a throw-away day when you can eat whatever you want. But I will tell you, my throw-away days aren't as bad as they used to be. Now, I'll think--am I really going to want to pay the price of eating badly?"
Piranio: "Your cravings change as you become used to eating clean."
Baxter: "After a while, I just didn't feel good. After you've been eating well when you eat all the things that are not part of your basic balance, it's just not worth it."
What are your fitness goals now, after being with Fitness Together for so long?
Baxter: "I'm still actually making great progress, but now, it's fine-tuning things. That's one thing about having a trainer work out with you. If you try to do it on your own, you don't know that there are these exercises you need to do to fit in these pieces. My programs are always tailored to keep what I have and to work on where I want to go. Without Fitness Together, I don't think my workouts would be maximized."
Get Going
Defeating Negative Thinking
By Michael Krueger NSCA-CSCS
The power of thought extends far beyond the obvious thinking that gets you through a day. The simple act of thinking sets off a chain reaction in your mind and your body. Visualization, seeing yourself accomplishing great things or failing miserably, has a huge influence on your final outcome. Positive thoughts will make you feel calm and relaxed where negative thoughts will make you feel tense and irritable. As an experiment, try pretending to cry. Really get into it and sob and gasp for air, it won't take long and you will begin to feel very sad. Why does this happen? You are what you think yourself to be.
Why do people think negatively? The bearer of bad news always seems to get the most attention. How much good news is reported in the media, not very much is there? Most people just don't care to hear anything that doesn't fit with their perception of life. Remember the bumper sticker saying, "Life sucks and then you die?" Well, that is the way negative people justify their lousy attitude. They relinquish all responsibility for the way they are, nothing is their fault. They think that it is easier that way. How wrong they are.
To have a positive focus in life is slightly different than always indulging in positive thinking. Straight up positive thinking can be a bit delusional. Bad things do happen, but if you keep focused on the positive you will come out fine without drifting into denial. If you find out that you have an illness, this isn't a good thing. But if you find that there is a treatment for this illness and you can focus on the treatment and getting well again, then this is a positive focus.
A positive focus allows you to see the possibilities that exist just beyond the difficulties. You can look at yourself and give an honest appraisal of where you are, why you are there and where you are going. Positive thinkers occasionally will miss the reality of a situation. It's what I call the "Don't worry, God will provide" syndrome. They don't understand that in order for your life to improve and for you to get what you want; you have to make the effort to get it. You must have the faith that everything is working out for the best, even when things aren't going as smoothly as you might hope. This enables you to see the possibilities and the difficulties and formulate a plan to make success happen.
Take your physical fitness and overall health for instance. A good look in the mirror is a great place to start. What do you see? Are you happy with the reflection? Does the image you see correspond with the image you have in your head? Do you only see the flaws, or can you see the possibilities as well? Do you see the difficulties that you may encounter if you decide to change the image that you see? Do they seem easy, hard or somewhere in between? Can you formulate a plan in your head to change the image you see in the mirror, or do you first need to change the recording that you are hearing in your head?
Ah, yes, the recording in your head. That is something that you have been adding to since before you can even remember. You imprinted on your parents and your extended family, you learned to judge yourself by the reactions you got from those around you. You learned that big boys don't cry, that nice girls are fragile and weak, and many other ideas that may not have served you very well. When you learn new things, first analyze the information and then if you find it to be accurate and useful, apply it to your situation. When we hear statements we send them through our filters and preconceived notions and we create a reality for ourselves. This reality isn't always a true representation of the world around us. It is the sum total of everything we have heard, seen, felt and most importantly, believed.
The idea we have formed of who and what we are should not be a hard little rock deep inside of us. It should be soft, pliable and ever changing. We need to have a strong sense of self, but it must be created with patience, love, understanding and the idea that anything is possible. How many times have you been told that you couldn't do or be something and you simply accepted it and added it to that recording in your head? The worse teachers are the ones who destroy the sense of hope and wonder in a developing heart and mind.
So now what do you do? The first thing is to erase the negative sound track to your life. At first it will be scary and difficult. You may feel without direction. After a while though you will begin to feel freer than you've ever felt before, and you will be ready to start recording your new soundtrack.
Think of all the possibilities that await you. Where do you want to go, what do you want to be? There are no longer any limitations on your thinking. This isn't to imply that you can physically do everything, but you are now free to imagine it, to try for it, even to fail in the attempt. This is all acceptable in your new world. This is the freedom of thought. The freedom that we so often deny ourselves, simply because in the past someone said, "Don't even think about that, you're no good." And we believed them and stopped thinking, stopped trying and started dying.
So now is the time to begin anew. Don't put it off another day. The amount of good, positive things you find in your life grows in proportion to how much you look for them. Taking care of yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally will get you going in the right direction, and once you build the momentum, there is nothing that can stop you. Learn to embrace the possibilities, accept the uncertainties and aim for the stars, there is no telling how far you might go!
Shape Up Your Game
By Jeanette Hurt
You can get the best driver that money can buy, but if your body isn't conditioned properly, your golf game is not going to be the best that it can be. Just ask the many avid golfers who are also clients at Fitness Together.
Although many of Fitness Together's clients might not have initially come to improve their golf games, once they've begun working out with the professional trainers at Fitness Together, their swings and handicaps have all improved. Part of this improvement is due to Fitness Together's focus on tailoring workouts to meet each individual's personal goals. "Our trainers are very supportive, and they know how to change workouts to target certain body areas," pointed out Pete Piranio, BS, CSCS and owner of Fitness Together. "It's all part of our overall philosophy."
However, it's not just golf-specific workouts that help golfers. By simply improving your overall level of conditioning and fitness, your golf game will likely improve. "Golf professionals know this, and they work with professional trainers on a regular basis," Piranio said. "But just as working out with a trainer can help professionals, it will also help amateur golfers as well."
"If you don't improve your body, all the best equipment in the world isn't going to help you play a better game of golf," said Jeff Breit, MS in exercise physiology and biomechanics and manager of the Sports Core in Kohler, part of Destination Kohler Resort, home of Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits golf courses "Your body comes first, then comes technique and then, equipment is third."
"A lot of golfers are fanatical about their equipment, but they miss the other part of the picture: their own strength and conditioning," Piranio added. "Many people would see a dramatic change in their game if they worked on their own physical conditioning."
Physical conditioning for golfers usually starts where they are at as individuals, but it can also focus on specific areas that can help them in their game. Many strength and conditioning programs for golfers focus on flexibility and range of motion. "A good golf swing is a balanced golf swing," Breit explained. "Good personal trainers will customize training on the specific needs of the individual."
Muscular imbalances can throw off someone's golf game. When the body isn't as functional as it should be, it compensates for problems. For example, a golfer who has tight or weak back muscles positions their golf club differently than someone who has a strong back. When you reposition your body because of a lack of strength, muscular imbalances develop, Piranio pointed out. That means if someone is working with a golf pro to improve their technique, the pro has to work with the person's limitations, and those limitations might prevent improvements to the game. "If neck flexibility isn't there, for example, a golf pro can't help you improve your swing as much," Piranio said. "The body is a great compensator, but these compensations can prevent you from improving your game."
When a person also works with a physical trainer, however, then the golf pro can more easily implement technique changes that might drastically improve the game. "If your body is functioning as well as it can, then your golf pro can help you even more," Piranio emphasized. When you are in good physical conditioning, then the golf pro can focus on improving your game rather than on your body's limitations, Piranio added.
Many limitations arise from poor core strength. "Improving core strength and aerobic conditioning are part of the initial program with a personal trainer," Breit pointed out. "When you first come in, if you're deconditioned and you want to get better at golf, our first job is to build up your core strength and overall fitness. Then, we can help you further train specifically for the game of golf and work on movements that are particular to golf."
It's well known in professional golf circles that better conditioning equals a better game, but it's also even becoming better known among recreational golfers. In fact, physical training is one of the fasted growing components at top golf schools-like here at the Kohler Golf Academy-Breit said. "Rather than focusing on technique or videotaping your game or equipment, physical training is becoming a very important component," Breit explained.
"Now, golfers are looking at training and conditioning the way a basketball player views it-it's just part of the game," Piranio emphasized.
Better conditioning equals a better swing, and a better swing equals a better game of golf, Breit pointed out. "If you just look at an older golfer versus a younger golfer, an older golfer's swing tends to get shorter and choppier, and their range of motion is just not as good," Breit said. "You can see this even on the PGA tour. The body of an older golfer limits the form for a proper swing, and that's when an older person adopts whatever swing her or she can physically perform."
"Lack of conditioning can make a golf pro's job much harder," Piranio added. What conditioning can do is to help a person work around their physical limitations-improve them to the best of their ability-and then prevent injuries. "Many people hurt themselves while playing golf because they're not conditioned properly," Breit pointed out.
Preventing injury is a big part of training. Usually, it is lack of core strength that contributes to injuries in sports, noted Piranio. In golf, swinging a golf club at such a high velocity of speed and not being able to slow down afterward causes many injuries. "If those muscles aren't conditioned, when they're stressed, they're not able to slow down the body and prevent injury," Piranio said.
Sometimes, recreational golfers decide to take up personal training precisely because they suffered an injury, and they want to be conditioned enough to get back into the game, Breit said. "We get a lot of people who have hurt themselves playing golf, and they really want to bring their body back into a condition in which they can play and play comfortably at that," Breit explained.
Besides improving core strength, training can also improve posture and balance, and in golf, proper posture is everything. Without appropriate strength, a person is not going to be able to accomplish a good swing, and having bad posture can contribute to injuries and fatigue in the game. "Good posture allows for better body mechanics," Piranio explained. "And if you are conditioned properly and in shape, you won't get as tired out by the 18th hole and will be able to sustain a higher level of concentration throughout the round."
Improvements also extend to body awareness, which again contributes to a better golf swing. "When you have good body awareness, you're able to know where you want to put your swing," Piranio emphasized. "You can feel the club head better."
While people can start a physical training and conditioning program on their own, there are several distinct advantages to working with a professional trainer. A good trainer can identify your body's own unique limitations, and thus avoid injury and strengthen muscles to prevent other injuries. A good trainer can also identify the muscles and muscle groups that need to be strengthened to specifically improve your golf game, Piranio pointed out.
"One of the biggest advantages of working with a trainer is you know that what you're doing is the right thing for you," Breit added. "A good trainer can customize the training for you and determine the exact type of program that will help you achieve your goals. You will then know that what you're doing is going to be safe and effective, and a good trainer will help you be accountable and keep you moving forward toward your goals."
"Programs are always tailored to keep what a person has and to work on what they still want to achieve," Piranio noted.
Conditioning and training are important at any age, but perhaps even more importantly as people do get older so they can be at the top of their game no matter what their age. "A lot of people take up golf because they want to have a game that they can play for a lifetime," Breit said. "But you really need to have a body in which to do it. Instead of just planning to save enough money to join the Desert Mountain Club in Sedona, Arizona, in retirement, they also need to plan for their body's condition so that they will be able to continue to play in their later years."
Strength training increases neuromuscular conditioning, and in effect, it can counteract the effects of time, Piranio said. "Many people say, 'I wish I could turn back time,'" Breit pointed out. "And conditioning does allow you to be younger longer," Breit concluded. "It's a great way to turn back the clock."
|
