Health Benefits of Golfing in Naples

Posted: Jun 19 in Weight Loss Blog by Staff

If you’re a true resident of Naples, you probably know by now that golf is a very important part of this city and its history. As a weight loss surgery patient you may be happy to know that golf is an excellent leisurely activity to help you stay healthy and fit to sustain weight loss.

What’s more, after comparing health outcomes for 300,000 golfers to the rest of the population, a study conducted by Sweden’s Karolinska Institute revealed the golfers had a 40 percent lower death rate than non-golfers of the same gender.

Before you set up your next time tee-time, here are several additional health benefits of golf for you to keep in mind.

Physical Health Benefits of Golf…

Golfing helps you stay in shape after bariatric surgery. If you play golf at least once a week, you could be walking anywhere from four to eight miles on a regular basis—if you don’t opt for the cart. Walking is a great low-impact exercise that helps improve your cardiovascular health and boosts your metabolism. Specifically, according to an experiment conducted by Rose Center for Health and Sports, while golfing an 18-hole course you can:

• Burn 721 calories when you carry your own bag
• Burn 718 calories when you pull-cart your own bag
• Burn 613 calories when you walk while your caddy carries your bag
• Burn 411 calories when you ride in the golf cart

Golfing helps strengthen your bones. Golfing involves a lot of walking—a low-impact exercise that helps strengthen your joints and support lean muscle mass. Many people who carry excess weight suffer from joint and bone pain, but with regular low-impact exercise you can prevent bone degeneration and strengthen those otherwise weak joints. As you begin to lose more weight after bariatric surgery, you will notice a positive change in joint and bone pain if you regularly participate in physical activities like golf.

Mental Health Benefits of Golf…

Golfing boosts brain power. If you’ve ever played a game of golf then you‘re aware of the mental power required to keep your cool and execute great shots. Golfing, like other aerobic exercise, helps produce new brain cells and pumps more oxygen to your brain. A game of golf can boost your brain power as the game is constantly challenging your mind in terms of coordination, visualization, strategy and concentration. Even if you’re nowhere near breaking 90, golfing is still great exercise for your body and your mind.

Golfing can help build confidence. You don’t have to be a professional golfer to feel good about yourself after a great swing. With every little success you make in a game of golf, you’re building your self-confidence a little bit. The more you golf, the better you will hopefully become; and combined with weight loss, you’re bound to feel better about yourself and body in no time!

Already itching to hit the golf course? Make sure you speak with your weight loss surgeon for clearance before engaging in any new physical activity after your weight loss surgery in Naples. Remember to wear sunscreen and stay hydrated in the hot Florida sun!