If you are trying not only loose weight but do this gradually and for a long, very long term, then taking up golf should be on your agenda.
Unlike more active and physically demanding kinds of sports, playing golf triggers inner mechanisms that help you tackle the fat stored in your body, instead of using up cabs for energy production.
Add to this a balanced diet full of healthy plant fats and carbs backed with fibre, like wholemeal alternatives, and you can achieve a gradual and long-term weight loss.
Myth About ‘Calories in – Calories out’ and What You Need Instead
As the old saying goes, weigh loss is all about what calories you consume minus calories you use up. However, not all calories are the same and we won’t even go into how bodies, genetics and metabolisms differ between people.
To lose weight successfully, you’ll need to burn about 1,000 calories a day (more than you consume), and a regular round could burn 500 calories and more. So, instead of trying to go extra hard on the treadmill, join a golf course for a few rounds a week to burn off packed up fat.
Weightlifting with Golf
Next time you are taking your mates to your local golf course, consider ditching that golf cart and carry your golf bag instead. This will add additional calorie burning to all the walking you’d have to do during a full 18-hole game. Forgot to mention that this would mean no golf carts either! Try to avoid 9-hole golf courses, as they will take only half the time of the regular round, and you will end up burning less than 500 calories per game.
Other Benefits to Your Health
Apart from weight loss, golf can also improve your health overall, this is especially useful for those who have long-term joint injuries or other long-term muscular-skeletal conditions, including most types of arthritis.
Unlike running, playing golf is a physical exercise that takes hours (literally), so although not a cardio work out per se, golf helps to improve cardiovascular system and protect you from heart malfunctions. It has also shown to reduce cholesterol levels in adults.
Add to this mental health benefits of being out and about in the fresh air surrounded by greenery and often fantastic views, and you have a perfect sport for overall health.
How to Really Lose Weight
As you know, physical activity accounts for only about 20-30% of all of your weight-loss efforts. The rest sits with a healthy diet packed with lean meats (protein), fibre (whole grains), healthy plant fats (olive oil) and fruit and veg. What you should avoid is simple carbs (sugar, pasta, pastries) and saturated fats always found in pre-made meals or snacks.
Golf Digest has a few snack ideas and meals that would help you have a healthy diet, without feeling hungry all the time. Remember, healthy diet is not a diet, it is just a lifestyle.
