Using Fitness to Gain Focus

According to research from Penn State and the University of Maryland, an average person exercises around two hours each week. That is just half how much is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Washingtonian) [site source: comfyliving.net]

Many of us could use more fitness activity in our lives. That’s pretty much a given.

Less than 25% of the US population gets enough physical activity.
http://www.verywellfit.com

The issue is our willingness to make time to get active. The key is to decide and determine that we will get off the couch and get active.

By increasing our activity, we stand a good chance of reducing health risks and increasing our own productivity.

Fitness Benefits

Using fitness as a means for gaining focus is nothing new.

Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance.
www.mayoclinic.org

The benefits of increasing our physical activity span beyond just losing weight and gaining strength.

A small study found that when mindfulness was combined with exercise, participants showed improvements in stress, depression, and anxiety.
www.verywellfit.com

According to an article by Sophia Aubrey for The Sydney Morning Herald, “After a month of regular exercise, you will be noticing improvements to your strength and fitness.” Additionally, per www.livestrong.com: “After a month or two of working out 30 minutes a day, you may have increased confidence, a boost in mood, better sleep, and enhanced muscle tone.”

The Mayo Clinic outlines 7 benefits of regular physical activity.

Fitness for Focus

I find that working out helps me gain focus. Also, regular workouts help me maintain a routine in an otherwise hectic schedule. But my focus is improved because I have spent time engaged in physical activity and my aha moments seem to pop up more frequently.

I use physical fitness to gain more focus.

It doesn’t matter if I am walking while listening to the Bible or jazz. It doesn’t matter if I’m jogging or running while I’m listening to an audiobook or a podcast. ( I rarely listen to my own podcast during workouts.) When I’m active, I get inspired and gain more focus.

I find focus during those workouts, runs, hikes and walks. I also find motivation and inspiration. I mean who can listen to David Goggins or anything from Rachel Hollis and not get motivated and make a move towards a goal.

To break 90 on my scorecard consistently, I don’t need to just hit the driving range consistently.

I need to use physical fitness to gain focus, so that I can combine that with my driving range regimen and practice rounds.

I force myself to find the time to fit in some fitness somewhere throughout my week.

I’m in need of the focus when the golf rounds go haywire. I need that focus when I come close but fall short of my golf goals.

Focus is a key benefit of fitness for me and my golf game. And becoming more active helps me gain more focus.

Find Your Fitness Fit

What anyone needs to do when it comes to fitness is to find what what fits.

I’ve got friends who would never dare think of playing a round hopping in and out of a golf cart. For them, walking the course is par for the course. Others focus on lightening their golf bag and slinging their equipment across their back from hole to hole for a full round of 18.

You’ve got to find what fits you. Find your own fitness fit.

Look at high impact physical activity like kickboxing, jiu jitsu or boxing. These include benefits related to both physical and mental health.
Consider adding a long walk or run, even a hike to your weekend activities.
Strength training with machines or free weights help with muscle tone and overall physical strength. Be sure to schedule in rest days between strength training workout days.
Use deep body stretching or yoga for part of your physical activity regimen.
Walk 9 holes or an executive course full of par 3 holes.
Change your daily diet. Look at keto or intermittent fasting combined with hitting the gym at least 3x’s per week.

Get into the habit of doing some body movements daily. Do some kind of physical activity daily and help yourself gain some focus among other benefits.

Be good to yourself and keep swinging.

Foot Care for the Fairway

Running and hiking are part of my rationale for embracing foot care.

Foot care is simply a form of self care.

It’s nothing new but it is new territory for me.

I went to a local salon for a pedicure under the advisement of a friend and I am so grateful. My feet have new life. I totally get why so many people swear by it.

What I don’t get is why we don’t talk about it more.

Proper Foot Care Benefits

For me, it’s not just about golf and fitness for the fairway. I’m a golfer but I also hike, walk, run, cross-train and play basketball and tennis. My feet are big part of that. As an athletic coach and referee for middle school and elementary sports, I am on my feet and on the move alot.

Pedicures are underrated self-care #fitness #running #selfcare
— RevBruceJ (@RevBruceJ1) November 28, 2022

Footcare offers plenty of health benefits, especially if we’re talking about ongoing foot care. As an older man, I need to remain mindful of how proper foot care impacts my health and wellness. Additionally, a healthy dose of foot care is recommended as part of a health and wellness regimen as well as a key part of self care.

Proper foot care has benefits for my golf game and overall health including:

Improved performance
Less pain
Limit the effects of long term neglect

For me, I suffered an injury to my foot nearly a year ago that led to an ingrown toenail that caused me ongoing aches and pains. It limited my turning on toes in my golf swing. It impacted how I ran and performed during long walks and hikes. It had an effect on my training sessions. It also impacted the types of shoes I could comfortably wear and what types of shoes worked for me to coach and ref games.

I was in serious need of a pedicure, an exfoliating foot scrub, and a foot massage.

My Personal Foot Care Plans

Getting a pedicure gave me more than just a sense of relief.

I feel like the foot care helped with my feet aching as well as the texture of my feet. You eliminate a lot of issues when you take time to care for your feet. I can attest to that for sure.

In the future, I plan on adding a pedicure to my monthly schedule (and budget). Basic pedicure packages run anywhere from $20 to $25 with more time and more services adding to the costs from there. I plan to add both the exfoliating scrub and reflexology massage myself.

Make an appointment. Even though many salons take walk-in clients, you don’t want to have to wait all day for a 30-minute appointment. Also, plan to bring cash for a tip. Some spots allow you to Cash App or Venmo your nail tech, but cash is still the king of tips.

See you on the fairway and keep swinging!

Final Week of Winter Vacation Golf Plans

As my free time begins to slowly dwindle away with a return back to work looming soon, I desperately have to schedule my golf outings for the remainder of my winter break. As I reference my golf planning resources and list out what I want to get done by next Sunday, I believe that I have my work cut out for me. I am already scheduled for an afternoon tee time at Eastlake on Wednesday scheduled after my Bible study livestream and a midmorning business meeting. I don’t have a lot time to work with here.

Golf Planning Resources Download

Monday

Today will include some range work on my irons and wedges. Plus, I want to try this bunker shot that I learned watching Mark Crossfield. Beyond that, I think my focus is fitness and health as I prepare for another 10-Day Detox Challenge.

Tuesday

This might be the day where I can walk an 18-hole par 3 in the morning. I have a critical business meeting later that afternoon, so I believe that would be the best time. Plus, as far as I am concerned that’s the best warmup that I can do for playing 18 on the next day.

Wednesday

With an afternoon tee time at Eastlake on Wednesday already scheduled, I am seeing this as one of the last shots at a par 72 for me before the break is entirely over. After my Bible study livestream and a midmorning business meeting, I will head to the putting surface for some practice and stretching before my round. This might be the last shot at breaking 90 over the break on a fairly familiar course and a shot a trying some of these new golf tips.

Thursday & Friday

Nothing happening here. I got all-day meetings for work in preparation for resuming remote learning with students. Not playing golf either of these days.

Saturday

Saturdays are tricky. The weekend golfers invade the local courses like a swarm and the foursomes get bunched up as the holes get backed up, so it can be a grueling time of tested patience. If I go out, it will definitely be a twilight tee time and it might have me finishing 18 all by my lonesome after the sun has gone down. Thank God for those neon yellow balls.

Twighlight Rates Download

I would love to play Barona but we’ll see how things go.

Sunday

It all depends for me. If I didn’t get a shot at it on Saturday, I might just make a go of it on Sunday. Typically, I would not play on Sunday. I try to unwind and relax even take it easy before my last day off work. But what else is golf but an opportunity to do that? If I get out there, I will play real close to home and be prepared for a definitely twilight type of play. It’s a lot cheaper and it’s a lot more convenient when the crowd is chugging along throughout the day. Once spring break comes up, I will surely have a greater experience at twilight because of the extended hours. For now, I make the most of it and have as much fun as possible.

It Was the Best of Times. . .

No matter how I approach it or look back at it, I enjoyed this break. I got in some good rounds and saw that the pandemic had not totally crushed my golf game like it has been killing my waistline. Working from home is killing me, so I know that I will take charge of my health differently as I return to work. This will surely include walking at least a par 3 course every 2 weeks. I got to keep the rust off my game, so I am going to keep swinging like I know how.

Fit by 50

I am not in the best shape.

Don’t get me wrong. I am thankful for what I have mainly the ability to get up and get out, working out or walking, even playing golf. I see the condition others are at my age with aches and pains, especially former high school and college athletes, and i thank God that I got what I got.

But here’s what I see as what is wrong.

I am not in the best of shape.

To be turning 50 in less than 50 months, I need to make some real life changes. My cholesterol is in line and no high blood pressure. I do not have diabetes. I do not have major joint or back problems or pain.

On the other hand, I tip the scale at just over 280 lbs over the last 3 to 4 months. Call it COVID-19 weight or whatever, but I need to shed it. The last time I was this heavy just over 275 lbs with a limited active life, I was diagnosed with “pre diabetes.” That simply means that I am on the verge if I don’t make changes. And I did make changes. I got active. This time I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. I do NOT like the machine or the mask. The mask shifts around too much and the hose annoys me. I look like a lost Jedi fighter pilot out of Star Wars or something. I decided to continue with the sleep study and try my best, but I am also determined to get in shape before 50 and NOT need this machine at night or 2 Advil in the morning.

I want to be fit by 50.

#FitBy50

Everything that is wrong with me is under my control: Sleep, Nutrition, and Activity.

Sleep: I do not sleep long hours. I got sleep apnea. But the sleep that I do get isn’t always restful. It’s time I take sleep seriously due to its impact on my ability to lose weight and maintain a healthy diet.

I will commit to eliminating the things that disrupt and rob me of a good nigh’s rest, interfering with my sleep and my health.

Nutrition: I have added more fruit and vegetables to my diet, but my problem is that bread dominates my diet. It can be tortillas, pizza dough, sourdough slices, or biscuits. I drink too much coffee throughout the day (and evening). Too much coffee leads to added sugars because I am that guy. I also do not drink enough water.

I will commit to eliminating bread from diet for 2 weeks initially. I will commit to removing white bread and white sugar from my diet by July 20th. I will focus on the transition to a plant-based diet as I begin again with “clean” eating.

Activity: I am inconsistent and too sporadic with my activity. Prior to COVID-19, I played basketball once per week if not 2-3 times. I also went to the gym at least 4 days per week (treadmill, free weights, weight machines, and stationary bike). I would do Zumba and body combat classes. I would run an average of 8 to 10 miles per week. Now gyms are just reopening. When it comes to golfing, a lot of golf courses are just getting back to up and running again. I should have read those blog posts on getting fit while at home. And we are all supposed to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. I might be doing 4 to 6 miles per week run, jog and walk at best. I am sort of at the starting block as Eleanor Sophie put it in her recent June post.

I commit to maintaining a consistent activity schedule, including logging at least 10 miles per week. I will also add variety to my workouts to attack my problem areas.

I want to be fit by 50.

Join me on the journey.

Messages of Movement & Motivation