midlifejourney.com

Golf is one of the best exercises for the midlife boomer.

As a boomer, you may feel that your days as an athlete are behind you. But one of the best ways to continue being involved in sports is by taking up the game of golf. This is one activity that can be enjoyed long into your retirement years. It offers the opportunity to get out in the open air, meet and socialize with like minded people, and keep your body flexible and strong.

How to begin?

First, talk to your friends who play golf and ask where they play. Inquire if there are instructors available or a golf clinic you could join. When I first considered learning to play I found a nearby golf club that had an early morning clinic. Each week we were given a short simple instruction for one aspect of the game and then sent out on the back nine holes of the course to play. It was a method of instant immersion which was a bit terrifying, but those of us who really wanted to learn kept at it, each week building one lesson at a time to learn the basics.

Another method is to join a friend at the driving range. Borrow some clubs, buy a bucket of balls, and ask for a little friendly guidance.

If you are still interested, I strongly recommend taking a lesson or two from the local pro. And ask their advice in purchasing your own set of clubs. Until you are sure you want to continue it might be wise to buy a “generic” set from a sporting goods shop, or clubs from a store that sells “gently used” sports equipment.

There is some debate about this question. Golf clubs are expensive. If you do buy clubs that are not just right for you (the wrong length or a shaft that doesn’t fit your swing style) you may find you never improve. But if you are serious about the game and can see yourself playing for years to come, then ask the golf pro to fit you for clubs. They will observe your swing, and overall posture and recommend a set that works with your particular style of play.

One thing you don’t want to do is buy a mixed set of clubs, (i.e. a driver from one manufacturer, woods from another, two irons from a third, the sand wedge from a fourth, etc. etc.) You will end up with a mish mash of miss matched clubs that are of different weights and shafts, each performing in a sightly different way. Your game will always be inconsistent because your clubs are inconsistent. The best way to purchase clubs, especially when it comes to irons, is to buy them all from the same manufacturer so that the shaft, weight and balance of each club matches all the others. Each club has a different loft and is used to accomplish a different task, but they all perform in a similar way. This goes a long way to bringing consistency to your game.

Once you have your clubs, the final step is to get out there and practice, practice, practice. With a little confidence you can soon join a foursome and really begin to enjoy the game.

Every baby boomer I know has aches and pains. Lots of them.

It’s as if a magical switch clicks on when you hit midlife and your body suddenly decides to rebel. Things you did without any pain at all suddenly leave your joints crying for help. Five years ago you could be on your knees in the garden for hours without any problem. Now, try that, and the next day your joints ache all over. That bike ride or run in the morning used to leave you feeling refreshed. Now when you get back after a workout, you just collapse in a heap and reach for the aspirin. What is happening to your body?

As we age, our bodies change. The joints and muscles have been working for you for years. Fifty years, sixty years — a very long time. Think of your body in terms of a machine. It works efficiently for years, but it needs to be well maintained. A car without an oil change or lube job becomes a squeaky old clunker that barely gets you down the road. In the same way, our joints need lubrication. As we age the cartilage, the cushion between our bones begins to thin and dry out. It can get so thin that eventually there is nothing at all between the bones. — You don’t want to know how painful that can be.

How do you prevent this “drying out” of the cartilage and maintain a healthy moist cushion between your bones? Continue Reading »