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You are on the 'Birdie' - Keep Fit page

Shown below:

Calorie Calculator
Happy home can be good for your golf
Getting Golfers to take Control of their Game
Using your Head for Golf
Afternoon zzzzzzzzzzzzzs

Does Golf keep you Slim?

Five Years' Extra Life
Golf Confidence Coach
Reduce Your Score By 5 Shots Or More without Changing Your Swing

 
Gail Smirthwaite is a leading mind expert working with the PGA and leading PGA professionals.
Gail tours UK Golf Clubs giving talks to Society Members on how to become a more confident golfer. Gail gained her honours degree in Social Studies at the University of Sussex in Brighton and the University of California San Diego, and her full accreditation in Coaching at Wolverhampton University.

A chance request to coach a young professional golfer with confidence issues propelled Gail into the world of golf seven years ago. Many successes in coaching both professional and non-professional golfers in lowering their handicaps and playing consistently better golf followed. By teaching motivation skills and confidence building Gail’s students gain greater awareness of themselves and their abilities. This encourages them to achieve the goals and successes they seek both on and off the golf course.

Gail currently writes for ‘Lady Golfer and National Club Golfer’ magazines in the UK and several Golf Magazines in Europe. Gail has appeared as an ‘expert mind coach’ on Radio Two’s Chris Evans in 2008 on the subject of creating a winning and positive mentality in golf.

If you haven’t already, join her new Member Site on the Home Page and become part of a great golf community. You will have direct access to Gail through LIVE CHAT so you can ask her any specific golfing questions you may have. You will also be able to access many fantastic free resources including her 12 month golfing goal plan.

Gail says:
I was recently asked if I was to choose only one of my tips to help with the mind side of golf what would it be?

I thought long and hard about this one - what single thought would I recommend you take onto the golf course with you? The one that immediately came to mind was most definitely FOCUS!

This is also one of the most asked questions; 'how do I stay focussed?' Fortunately although you are out for perhaps four hours to play 18 holes you do not need to stay focussed for the entire time.

The most important thing to remember is your actions follow what you last visualised.

TIP: Always visualise exactly where you want the ball to land. If you have a visual of a hazard in your mind, even if you are telling yourself not to go there, your mind will try and help your actions to follow what you can see in your mind's eye. That is why it is so important to visualise towards your goal i.e. where you want the ball to land and not bring a visual of the hazard into play at all.

Till next time ...
Gail Smirthwaite
GOLF CONFIDENCE COACH

www.GolfMindGuru.com

How playing golf putts you on course for five years' extra life
As sports go, it is far from the most strenuous but golf appears to have significant health benefits, including the ability to make you live longer.A study of 300,000 golfers revealed that they were 40 per cent less likely to die at any given age than those who did not play.

The study showed that the best players - as measured by handicap - were the most healthy of all. Researchers pointed out that a single round of 18 holes usually involves walking more than four miles, being outside for four or five hours, walking at a fast pace, which is known to be good for the health.

The finding applied across all social classes - showing that golfers' better health cannot simply be explained by them being wealthier than average.

The British study found that players who receive the most support off the course perform the best on it.   Loved ones are credited with boosting self-esteem and giving encouragement and reassurance.
"Reduce Your Score By 5 Shots Or More without Changing Your Swing".

Without any complicated, expensive or time consuming swing changes, Dr Karl Morris, Europe's Leading Mind Coach, teaches You the SECRET way to lower your scores using the 5 HABITS of SUCCESS. 
 
Click here if you wish to receive FREE training videos!!
 
Calorie Calculator
Welcome to the Healthy Weight Forum calorie calculator (taken from www.healthyweightforum.org). Click on the link below to use the calorie calculator to find out how many calories you burn for over 70 activities and exercises. Ever wanted to know how many calories you burn during a round of golf? Or during sex?!! Use the calorie calculator to calculate the number of calories you burn!

http://www.healthyweightforum.org/eng/calorie-calculator.asp?action=submit
Happy home can be good for your Golf - extract from Dail Mail 10/01/2007
A happy home life can make you better at golf, sports psychologists say.

Researchers found the emotional support a golfer receives off the course is directly linked to the quality of his or her performance on it.

They measured the level of support that 117 amateur male golfers received in their personal lives against the quality of their game. Those with more emotional back-up performed up to 24 per cent better.

"We often speak of the 'moral support' sportsmen get from their friends and families, which helps their performances," said Dr Tim Rees, of the School of Sports and Health Sciences at Exeter University.   "Perhaps, then, it is not surprising that golfers benefit from good social networks off the course. What was surprising to us was the extent to which this affected their performance."
Aches and Pains?    Wear a magnotherapy bracelet
Magnotherapy is not a new concept, in fact the beneficial properties of magnets on health have been know for thousands of years.   The benefits of Bioflow bracelets for golfers is well documented.   Well known players have talked about the success of using magnets in relation to neck problems, tendonitis, arthritis and general fatigue in wrists, hands and forearms which we are all familiar with on the last few holes of a round.   


Robin Bailey, an independent distributor for Ecoflow plc, is willing to put on a face-to-face demonstration of magnotherapy products.   Any Lady Captain is welcome to organise a free Pamper Evening at which handicappers can try on a wide range of bracelets on offer.   Only Ecoflow products are backed with a 90-day money back guarantee if you find no benefit.   So you have nothing to lose.   Contact 07966-256724 or email baileyrbn@aol.com and please mention Business Ladies Golf website.

Getting Golfers to take Control of Their Game
All of us have different abilities. Not all of us play the same game. We don't want to think that is true but it is. I hit a driver 200 and no matter how hard I try it isn't going any farther than that. Some of the people I play with consistently hit it 250. Now do you honestly think that if I am always looking at yardage that is 50+ yards further away than those I play with that we are playing the same game? I think not. I am hitting 4 metals or long irons most of the time when they are hitting 7, 8, 9 irons or a wedge.

What does that mean to me? Pure and simple, I have to approach the golf course much differently than they do if I want to score. If I try to play their game I am only going to frustrate myself and end up taking a few more strokes than I should. And that could be on each hole.

Some exclusive golf courses or resort courses provide little booklets that describe each hole and show the placement of the bunkers and such. But in every case that I have seen they only point out things to give you an idea of distance. Now don't get me wrong, that is helpful. But it is the subtleties of the course in relationship to what I have to deal with based on my distance and abilities that is going to make a difference to my score. That is where "Managing the Course" comes into play.

Visit www.managing thecourse.com and all will be explained!

Using your Head for Golf

By Richard Parsons D.Hyp MIAH

Mind training and Visualisation has become increasingly important in the world of elite sports as people realise that physical training is not enough on its own to compete at a high level. Boxers, golfers, footballers and athletes are just some sports people that have turned to mind coaches, motivation experts and hypnosis to improve their level of expertise. So how does our mind affect our body?

Our thought processes have a corresponding muscular impulse without you even realising it. In technical terms this is called an Ideomotor Action. This can be both positive and detrimental to us. If you think negative thoughts, or are very stressed, then you will receive corresponding muscular tension, some of which you may not even be aware of. As you are reading this very sentence, are you aware that your shoulders are too tense? Drop them a bit and relax. That's it. Feel better already?

The ideomotor effect in its scientific terminology refers to involuntary and unconscious motor behaviour. The term "ideomotor Action" was coined by William Carpenter in 1882. Carpenter argued that muscular movement can be initiated by the mind independently of volition or emotions. We may not be aware of it, but suggestions can also be made to the mind by others or by observations. Those suggestions can influence the mind and affect motor behaviour.

In 1890, William James, a well known physician and philosopher of his day, wrote...

"…every mental representation of a movement awakes to some degree the actual movement. Whenever a movement unhesitatingly and immediately follows upon the idea of it, we have ideomotor action."

A huge amount of research into Ideomotor activity has demonstrated the consistency of its presence. So what does this mean to a golfer? Well, if turbulent or stressful thought can produce involuntary muscular tension, this can obviously inhibit your swing, your focus and your playing. Can you play golf [well] whilst angry? Stressed? Unwell? No. Your muscles will respond to what is going on in your head. Those playing golf that can relax mentally as well as physically will fare much better.

If you involve your mind too much, your muscles cannot completely relax. In a positive way, clear and relaxed thinking can induce great results. You may have heard of what champion athletes call the "zone". This is where involuntary activity has taken over, and they no longer need to 'think' about what they are doing. They have trained correctly for so often that they can do their activity without conscious thought.

In one study in America, groups of people were put through a basketball test. For three weeks, one group practised shooting hoops, and the other group visualised scoring in the basket, but did not pick up a ball. The third group were the control group. On test day, those who had actually physically prepared as opposed to visually prepared only did marginally better, the difference was very little...

However at this point be aware that just sitting on the sofa and thinking about Golf instead of actually playing and practicing is not enough. By its very nature, being successful in any sport requires physical hard work and dedication. You don't get good at anything without practice. But visualisation and relaxation exercise are a great tool when you are preparing for competition, not playing, or are injured or unwell. So how can we use this 'Ideomotor Action' to help? You can think about your golf game whilst you are not playing to improve your next performance. These are just some of the tools:

 - Goal Setting
 - Positive Thoughts
 - Positive affirmations
 - Positive Self Talk
 - Visualisation

Visualisation Exercise:

1. Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and start to relax your body.
2. Count slowly from ten to one, taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
3. Once you are fully relaxed you begin your visualisation exercise.
4. Picture the golf course. Make the image as detailed as possible. What is the weather like? What is the course like? Where are you standing? What hole are you at? What sounds do you hear? Use as much detail as possible.
5. Then watch yourself as you practice your skill (swing for example). Notice your grip, your balance, and your weight distribution, feel what it's like to hit the ball perfectly, with mind and body in total harmony, relaxed and effortless.
6. Take a slow deep breath and go through the motion again, but this time watch it from a different angle. You may be looking down from above or the side. See and feel what it's like to hit that perfect shot, watch the ball as it goes exactly where you need it to go.
7. As you do this think of positive words such as confident, strong, focused, skillful.
8. Once finished gradually bring yourself back to your surroundings counting up from 5 to 1 and become fully awake and refreshed.

Keep practising this exercise using your own images and practising what you need to practise…putting, driving etc.

Remember, the more detailed your make your imagery, the better it will be. But visualise the CORRECT movement, otherwise you will be ingraining bad habits. See the movement in your mind, feel what it felt like when you did the correct movement. It's a great learning tool and can certainly help you improve. You really can think yourself better!!

 
Afternoon zzzzzzzzzzzzzzs
It's official - an afternoon nap is good for your health.   A study published by the College of Psychologists in Spain (home of the siesta!) found that a 10 - 40 minute nap between 2pm and 5pm increased memory and concentration, reduced stress and improved productivity.  So, next time you're battling post-lunch drowsiness, put your head down and your feet up and have a snooze - you can tell your boss it's just what the doctor ordered!!
 
Keep Fit
Does Golf keep you slim?   Have a look at the chart!
Person's body weight of 130 lbs.
Calories burned for 1 hour:
Person's body weight of 155 lbs.
Calories burned for 1 hour:
Person's body weight of 195 lbs.
Calories burned for 1 hour:
Carrying clubs
325
387
474
General
236
281
345
Pulling clubs
295
352
431
Using power trolley
207
246
302
Driving range
177
211
259
(Calories are calculated based on research data from Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise,
the Official Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.)
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