Go Cardio!

[Golf_Beauty]

Rev up your aerobic training for greater on-course stamina and a healthier heart.

 

I come from a family with a history of heart disease: my grandmother died of a heart attack at 50 and my mother had her first heart attack at the tender age of 41. So I take every precautions to make sure that I stay heart-healthy with regular exercise and eating heart-healthy foods. Here's an article I found that gives great advice for those that find themselves out of breath every so often out on the course.

 

Golf For Women

September/October 2006

 

Anyone who believes golf isn't a workout needs to check out a Fort Hayes State University study released at the American College of Sports Medicine's annual meeting: Women walk nearly six miles during an 18-hole round, and even players who ride in carts walk up to 3.5 miles. Logging those miles can be draining and can take a toll your swing, resulting in poor timing and improper weight transfer. But you can improve your stamina on the course my implementing a cardiovascular routine that exercises the heart muscle through endurance training. (It also helps keep the pounds off.)

 

"Aerobic training will incrase your overall fitness and delay how long it takes for you to feel fatigued," explains John Abt, an associate professor in sports medicine and nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh.

 

LPGA Tour star Lorena Ochoa runs three to five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes to maintain her cardio health. "Running helps me have enough energy to play a stable, level roudn and relieve stress," she says. Her cardio traing seems to be paying off: As of midsummer, Ochoa had won twice and was leading the LPGA Tour's money list.

 

Running isnt the only option ot improve your aerobic fitness. Try interval training, in which you vary the intensity of your exercise on machines such as a treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical trainer or rowing machine. For example, walking at "low intensity" would be working at an easy effort level. "Moderate intensity" is similar to a brisk walk and might feel somewhat hard. A "high intensity" effort level leaves you panting. As long as you don't feel dizzy or uncomfortable, working at all levels is a good idea. "Low to moderate intensities are enough to improve your health and burn calories, but higher intensities are what improve cardiovascular fitness," explains Abt.

 

Always warm up for about five minutes. Start with 20 or 25 minutes of intervals and work up to longer sessions. Here's a sample workout to get you going.

 

[tourboundgal34]

This is great... I just started with a personal trainer and on days I don't work with her I needed an idea of what to do for cardio... Thanks for the post!