Today I had the great pleasure to deliver a Golf Fitness Session at a Ladies Short Game Clinic . As it is World Menopause today, I spoke about how menopause can affect our golf game, and what we can do to continue to be Fit to love Golf !
With the average age of a golfer being in their 50s, there are a lot of female golfers who are menopausal. It is something that is not spoken about enough considering women spend 40% of their lives in menopause.
Golf can have a really positive impact on our health in menopause.
Staying active is one way of improving symptoms and overall well-being during menopause.
Golf is a great way to increase your steps and can help to work both muscles and the cardiovascular system, keeping your heart healthy, your bones strong, and promotes balance and flexibility.
Spending time outdoors in nature has been linked to lower stress and better moods.
Golf is a great way to build social networks for support and to share with each other. Understanding how others are feeling and to know that you are not alone is such a great comfort.
Unfortunately menopause can also have a negative impact on our golf both from a mental and physical point of view.
Increased muscle aches and inflammation in your joints can affect your swing.
Fatigue due to interrupted sleep, can lead to tiredness on the course.
Brain fog and loss of concentration can cause you to not focus on shots as easily.
Anxiety and feeling low, can lead to you doubting your swing, or to not play with the same level of confidence.
At times menopause can make us very emotional, and this can lead to us feeling frustrated and upset with ourselves when we are not playing well.
Being aware of our symptoms and learning how to deal with them on the course is so important.
Creating a good warm up to keep our bodies moving freely is so important as we age.
Recognise in particular the symptoms which can affect our mindset on the course. It is easier to deal with them when we are aware of them so we can continue to enjoy the game.
Meditation and breath work can help to maintain focus and to reduce anxiety.
Learning acceptance on the course is something we all need to do and it can help us to not be so frustrated with our game .
There is no doubt, getting out in nature, walking and moving around the course and spending time chatting with our playing partners is a great way to help us to navigate this time. It is also a great time to take up the sport if you never have . Menopause is a time when we often want to make changes, to try new things and become more active, so if you do not play why not give it a go.
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