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If you’re like most boomers who play golf, you buy the best equipment, you take golf lessons, and you practice every aspect of your game trying to get better.

YET You may still have back and shoulder pain.You still don’t get the distance you want off your clubs. Sometimes you feel exhausted during your round. Something is missing, isn’t it?

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What’s missing is the physical conditioning necessary to be the best golfer you can be! Physical conditioning you ask? For golf? Why?

Ask yourself these questions:

• How often do you rush to the golf course just in time to tee off?
• Do you take the time to warm up at the driving range or the putting green?
• Do you give yourself any time at all before that first swing?

If you love the game and want to play well, proper physical conditioning is absolutely necessary.

Here are the Facts:

• The golf swing is one of the most complex movements in all of sports.
• The golf swing is explosive as well as a bit unnatural.
• The golf swing requires strong, flexible muscles.
• Without this strength and flexibility, your swing will never reach its full potential!
• Without strength and flexibility, your risk of injury is high!

Unfortunately, most recreational golfers take the physical aspects of golf for granted because of the slow pace of the game. The result:1/4 to 1/3 of all golfers get injured while playing golf,with 40,000 trips to the emergency room each year.

Women suffer more upper body injuries than men, but are less prone to back injuries than men.

In general, the vast majority of injuries are from poor swing mechanics and a lack of physical preparation. And, of equal importance, most technical problems with the golf swing are closely related to a lack of proper strength, balance and flexibility.

What can you do? While your teaching pro will help you with swing mechanics… Who advises you on how to remain injury free? Do you know what exercises are absolutely necessary for golf? Do you know which exercises will help, and which will hurt? Most likely not.

But, you are not alone! The average recreational golfer does not have the expertise or knowledge to design golf specific exercise programs.

You may not have a lot of experience with strength training, or understand what muscles are used during the swing and how to make them strong and flexible. There are many fitness instructors who can help you with an exercise regimen, but very few who are expert at getting you fit for golf.

Seek out a golf fitness specialist who can teach you how to get your body in shape and keep it in the best condition for golf.
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Guest author and fitness expert, Kathy Ekdahl shares her secrets to loosing that extra weight and staying fit and healthy.

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Q- How do I know whether I am fit enough? Are there standards for fitness that I should try to adhere to?

When we us the term “fit” we  are talking in very general terms about someone who looks strong and healthy and exercises consistently. But the definition of good fitness really has several components. They are: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition (fat versus muscle tissue). To be truly “fit”, we do need to address all aspects of fitness. For example, if you can run 10 miles, but can’t do 10 push-ups- then you are not truly fit.  Or, conversely, if you can do 400 pound leg press, but can’t run a mile, then again, your fitness is not complete. So, it is very important to make sure your exercise regimen addresses all aspects of fitness.

As a strength and conditioning coach, I test my clients in all aspects of fitness to discover where their fitness is adequate, and where it is not. Addressing weaknesses in fitness is very important! Most people focus only on what they are good at, and ignore what they are not good at (or do not like to do). This will lead to imbalances in fitness, which will eventually lead to injuries.

For the average exercise enthusiast (not an athlete) some basic standards I use for good fitness are:

• The ability to do at least 10 straight leg push ups
• The ability to touch your toes when standing or sitting on the floor
• The ability to get your heart rate high in its training zone for short periods of time and then recover within one minute
• The ability to run longer distances, 1-2 miles, without stopping
• The ability to perform a deep squat with perfect technique
• The ability to balance on one foot for greater than 20 seconds
• The ability to perform a prone plank hold for one minute
• Normal body fat measurements- neither too high, nor too low

Of course, genetically we may be predisposed to being good at one aspect of fitness versus another, so it is normal to excel at some aspects of fitness and struggle with others. But- that’s no reason to ignore the ones we are not good at! Make sure your program addresses all aspects of fitness by stretching daily,  performing  heavy weight training 2-3 days a week, doing cardiovascular endurance activities such as biking, jogging, walking 3 days a week- including some high intensity interval training – and eating well and keeping bodyweight and body fat in normal parameters.

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.

Guest author and fitness expert, Kathy Ekdahl shares her secrets to loosing that extra weight.

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Q-    Which weight loss programs and/or diets do you recommend?

A- There is no one weight loss program that I recommend to my clients, and in fact, for some clients, I do not recommend any specific diet or weight loss program at all! The research is quite clear: close to 85-90% of the people who lose weight via a diet or “weight loss program”, gain all the weight back, and more. This is a pretty sad statement about the efficacy of the programs and diets that are out there.

In comparative research studies, it has been shown that Weight Watcher’s is the most successful, not because of any specific nutrition or diet recommendations, but because of its well known support system. It is the support system which is an absolute must for those of you trying to lose significant amounts of weight- so this is where Weight Watcher’s really wins! But, amazingly, the average weight loss per year of Weight Watchers is less than 10 pounds, and this is the most successful? Cleary, we are not getting things right here!

I generally do not recommend weight loss programs that have pre- packaged foods. These are often preservative and salt filled, and I personally believe that preservatives, salt, extra sugar, and other processed foods must be eliminated from the diet to achieve permanent weight loss.  Also, what tempts people to try these diets- being told what to eat and when- is also the downfall of these programs. We need to learn to make proper choices for ourselves rather than relying on someone else telling us what to eat. I also do not recommend high protein/high saturated fat/ low carb programs (Atkin’s) either.  I do think that it is too restrictive, not enough healthy foods, and the research is still not conclusive about whether it raises or lowers  cholesterol and lipids. But, having said that, I do believe that for some people, beginning a healthy diet may need to be jumpstarted with a specific diet/ program.

The one diet I do recommend is the South Beach Diet. It is closest to the principles that I ask my clients to adhere to:
-    healthy fats
-    low refined carbohydrates
-    plenty of lean protein
-    lots of vegetables, some fruits
-    Multiple small meals with snacks in between

But even the SB diet goes too low in calories initially, and recipes are a bit cumbersome- so nothing is perfect! And, no matter what “diet” or “program” you go on-  you must be able to maintain that type of eating forever- or you’ll gain the weight back.
The final answer- choose a program you can stick with and is easy to plan and cook for. Avoid diets that restrict one food group or go too low in calories- inevitably these backfire. And, allow yourself a cheat meal each week. This can help you get over the boredom of dieting.

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.

Guest author and fitness expert, Kathy Ekdahl shares her secrets to loosing that extra weight.

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Q: Why do we gain weight when we age? I exercise and eat the same as I always have, but I am still gaining weight?

There are many factors involved in why we gain weight in our middle age and, in many cases, we can control these factors. What we can not control, is that we all will age. We can slow things down, or accelerate them with our lifestyle choices, but aging is a major factor for weight gain. One primary reason is that, as we age, we lose muscle tissue through a normal (but not optimal) process called sarcopenia. Since muscle tissue drives our metabolism (as we talked about last week), sarcopenia results in a slow down of our metabolism and hence a gain of body fat.  With this loss of muscle tissue, since our metabolisms are slowed, we can eat the same amount of food as when we were younger, but unfortunately now gain weight. This is complicated by the fact that many middle age exercisers rely only on cardiovascular exercise like walking or biking for fitness. Unfortunately, cardiovascular exercise does not add muscle tissue, so this is no longer enough to keep body fat at bay.

Another factor to consider is that aging also causes us to lose other aspects of fitness as well as joint health, so our exercise programs tend to diminish and become less intense out of fear of injury, or fear that “we are too old” to be exercising vigorously. Yet, this is what many of us need to add back lost muscle tissue!

The bottom line is that we need to be doing strength training exercises 2-3 days a week. Strength training is appropriate for almost everybody in some form, and with proper training and progression, all ages can add muscle tissue and resulting strength and power, while reducing risk of injuries. Oh yeah… and lose body fat in the process.

Lastly, take note of what I mentioned above; that we can choose to speed the aging process up, or slow it down, through our lifestyle choices. Exercise, eating well, not smoking, drinking in moderation, taking the proper supplements, will all help you age gracefully.

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.

We all want to stay healthy. I used to run when I was younger and even though I never finished a marathon, I managed a few 10K races. But then life got busier and I stopped running. A few years later when I tried to begin again, my knees started complaining. Guest author and nationally certified personal trainer Kathy Ekdahl has some sound advice for the boomer who wants to start again.

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Running to get in shape – But my knees hurt. Is it too late to start again?

Q- I want to start running to get in shape, but every time I try, I get knee and hip pain. Is this inevitable, and does running cause arthritis?

A-Large research studies have shown that runners do not have a greater incidence of osteoarthritis than other populations, so, no, running does not cause arthritis. But, running is a very repetitive form of exercise, and to run without musculoskeletal pain and overuse injuries takes some knowledge and planning. You can’t just throw on a pair of old sneakers and head out the door and expect to be able to run well and run far unless you’ve done your homework!

First, I’d invest in a good pair of sneakers. There are stores that will choose sneakers for you based on your specific foot and gait patterns. Large sporting goods stores may not have personnel who are knowledgeable about gait patterns, so look for a store that caters to runners.

Secondly, there is a great saying about running: “Get fit to run, don’t run to get fit.” To a large degree, I agree with this. If you are not physically prepared for running, it can cause injuries due to its repetitive nature. Running requires healthy strong muscles, good flexibility, and a comprehensive warm-up and cool down to prevent injury. I recommend that you work on your core strength including the muscles of the hips, to prevent the type of nagging foot, back and knee pain many runners experience. Weak, tight hip muscles are a major cause of knee pain!

Make sure that you have a good flexibility program in place as well, stretching the major muscles of the legs including hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings and calves. You should always perform static stretches after you run, not before. Holding stretches statically before you run can cause injuries, not prevent them, as it decreases neuromuscular activation, which is not good if we want the muscles to work for us during running! Instead of static stretches, perform dynamic movements which warm up muscles and joints and help the joints move smoothly. I also highly recommend the use of foam rollers as a way to keep muscle tissue healthy.

Lastly, if you begin to develop nagging pain during or after running, don’t ignore it.  Go see your Doctor. Ignoring injuries always makes them get worse and last longer- and runners have a bad habit of doing this.

Running can be a part of a well rounded fitness program, and while not everyone can or should run, many of us can manage shorter distances (3-4 miles) several days a week without injury.  Remember that running every day is not necessary, so be conservative and run 3 days a week instead of more. And, always start with short distances or run/walks and build up.

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at:kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com or visit her website.