Improving Your Golf Swing Through Pilates and Yoga

I am sure if you golf and you are reading this post you are wondering, "How can Pilates and/or Yoga possibly improve my golf game?" Well, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that Pilates and Yoga can greatly improve your golf swing.

The difference between an amateur and a professional golfer is consistency. Understandably so because professional golfers have increased play time.
Many aspects of mind/body/fitness are evident in golf:
1. Concentration/focus
2. Breathing
3. Flexibility
4. Strength(entire body)
5. Balance

Pilates and Yoga encompass all of these practices. Yoga and pilates focuses on stretching and strengthening through full body movements. On the golf course it takes ample focus, concentration, and proper breathing techniques to relax your mind and body during your swing/short game. If you are nervous your muscles will tighten causing a faulty swing pattern. Flexibility of the entire body, especially in the rotational (transverse) plane, is essential to achieve an excellent golf swing. Yoga and pilates work to strengthen and lengthen muscles in various static and dynamic rotational positions. Like other sports such as baseball/softball, golfing is predominantly one-sided. This causes your body to become asymmetric leading to increased tightness on the stronger side. Balance is essential to maintain throughout the swing as well as the finishing position of the golf swing. Yoga and pilates focus on both static and dynamic balance in all planes of movement.

Happy Golfing!

Stretch your low back pain away!

When you bend over to pick up something you dropped on the floor do you feel tightness and/or pain in your lower back? Do you feel tightness in your back with simple daily activities, such as sitting, walking, or standing up from a chair?

You can prevent back injury and unwanted pain and tightness in your lower back by simply stretching your hamstrings daily. It literally takes 90 sec of your time 1-2 times per day to accomplish this. Here's how:

1. Pick a comfortable place to stretch such as the floor or bed.
2. Find a belt/rope/tough cord.
3. Lie on your back with both legs straight.
4. Hook the belt/rope/cord around the bottom of your foot (i.e. you can make a loop with your belt and place the loop over your forefoot).
5. While keeping your knee completely straight, lift your one leg until you feel a stretch at the back or your thigh. Your non-stretch leg should lie relaxed with your knee straight on the ground/table (or whatever surface you are stretching on).
6. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds (you can stretch as long as a minute or more if you desire). Once the 30 sec are up, relax the leg down and then repeat the same stretch 3 times.
7. Repeat on the other leg.

Congratulations!! You have just stretched your hamstrings and you are on the road to back injury prevention.

Note: If you felt a burning sensation in your back, buttock, or back of your thigh during this stretch you should consult with a physical therapist as you may have an underlying condition.