Exercise: Miracle Cure

You should always be a little suspicious of people who offer “miracle cures,” but recently, doctors at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in the UK have declared that exercise itself is worthy of the name, “Miracle Cure.”

In fact, they released a report called Exercise: The Miracle Cure and the Role of the Doctor in Promoting It. Now I know that none of my clients need to have a doctor make them exercise, because they’ve already made the wise choice to invest in their health.
It’s not always clear just how valuable an investment that is, however, so I’d like to share with you some statistics from the report.

People who exercised saw the following gains:

  • 31% reduction in cardiac mortality.
  • 90% improvement in self-esteem and well-being.
  • 25%-53% reduction in pain symptoms among osteoarthritis patients.
  • 57% lower rate of prostate cancer progression.
  • At least 10mm Hg drop in blood pressure among 31% of patients.
  • 50%-80% reduction in risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
  • 30%-50% reduction in risk of falls among older adults.
  • 30% lower all-cause mortality rate.
  • 45% reduction in risk of bowel cancer.

That’s only the beginning of what you get from investing just a little bit of time with your fitness professional.

Member Spotlight:

Tom H. of Delmar says: “after working with you these past nine months, I am a full club length longer on my irons and a good 30 yards longer on my drives–even my wife and friends have commented on the changes in distance and accuracy. I also have no pain where once there was considerable discomfort in my shoulders, hips, and limbs. … Oh yeah, I weigh 15 pounds less than before we started–an added benefit!”

Holistic Ways to Treat Swelling and Inflammation in Joints

Many things we are exposed to in our everyday lives cause inflammation in our bodies, particularly in our joints.  It’s important to recognize this problem, and to take steps to alleviate it.  I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite holistic remedies for inflammation below.

Herbs:  Cayenne, ginger root, horsetail, yucca, oak bark, marshmallow root, lobelia, skullcap, comfrey root, gravel root, flax seeds, devil claw, white willow bark, wintergreen oil, peppermint oil, arnica flowers, St. John’s wort, calendula, garlic, onions, echinacea, dandelion, celery, cats claw, red raspberry, wild yam– Use liquid tinctures, veggie capsules, teas, or salve.  No gelatin capsules.

Apple cider vinegar:  Use only organic or Bragg’s.

Enzymes:  Make sure they are food-based, vegetarian digestive enzymes.

Treatments:  Chiropractor, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais method, massage therapy, reflexology, acupuncture, physical therapy, soft tissue specialists, Rolfing.

Water:  Drink only filtered or distilled.  80-150 ounces per day.

Foods:  All organic whole foods, fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables.  Stop all dairy, reduce animal protein, no soda, no caffeine, use only olive oil, cook in only glass and stainless.

Supplements:  Make sure they are food-based only.  Good sources are alfalfa, spirulina, chorella, kelp, all greens like spinach, barley, and wheat grass, orange/lemon peel, rose hips, coenzyme Q10, alpha lipoic acid, MSM.

Exercise:  Work with a personal trainer who specializes in functional training.

Stress:  Find a way to deal with stress, because if you are under too much stress, none of the above  solutions will be enough to prevent inflammation.  Use meditation, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Yoga–find a way to relax and let go of stress.

Essential oil:  Young Living brand is best.

Baths:  Saratoga mineral bath or Epsom salt bath at home with Young Living essential oil.

Inversion Table:  Not everybody has access to one, but it’s a great treatment for inflammation in the joints.

Strength Training for Golf

My goal is to add the physical conditioning component to your bag of tricks. Functional strength exercise will increase your ball and club head speed. This will make you a powerful ball striker.
Begin with a dynamic warm up and stretch to prepare the body for quality work. Don’t worry about quantity; focus on quality. Exercise done right works well. Exercise done wrong will hurt your body and harm your swing. The body needs strength in push, pull, rotate, squat, lunge. Since the majority of golfers are hunched over with rounded shoulders, I would do more pulling exercises than pushing exercises.
In the May 2015 Golf Digest Magazine, the 463-yard long ball champ Jeff Flagg advises readers to train on your feet as much as possible; you will be a better athlete.

Standing Back Pull:
Start with a standing tubing pull. Hold the tubing with your hands while pulling the tubing to your shoulder. You should feel your shoulder blades coming together. Do three sets of 12-16 reps.

Standing Chop Exercise:
Put tubing high on a pole or tree, then combine the handles so you have one handle. Stand sideways from the pole in golf stance. Chop to your off hip. Feel the power coming from your core. Do three sets of 12-16 reps on each side.

Standing Rotation Exercise:
Now stand facing the pole with the tubing moved to the middle. Keep your head still and rotate side-to-side. Some people do this movement with a golf club. Doing this with the tubing will create power and strength.

Lunges:
For a powerful glute, the lunge works best. Stand facing the mirror (if you have one.) Take a big step forward with your right leg, then focus on the left leg by dropping the knee to two inches from the floor five times each leg. Repeat this sequence three times.

Squats:
The last exercise is the squat. Face the mirror, feet pointed forward, shoulder width apart. Sit down as far as you can go while keeping your feet flat and knees pointed forward. Do three sets of five squats.

These exercises are simple but important ways to increase your strength, making you a more powerful ball striker and improving your overall fitness.

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