“How much should I exercise?” is a common question I get from golfers. My usual response is, “Well, it depends.”  This is true because it depends on your individual goals. For general health, the Mayo clinic and American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. My general recommendation is slightly higher. I follow at least 30 minutes of some type of exercise each day. This could include hitting golf balls at the range. Yes golf is an aerobic activity that counts towards your weekly minute count. However, if you’re looking to notice a difference in the mirror and in how you feel, you’ll need to ramp it up. To get these results, you will want at least 180 minutes of moderate aerobic activity along with 2-3 days of light to moderate strength training for a middle aged adult. I also love to incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into Par 4 Fitness programs. This is reserved for clients in good health and no heart complications. Higher intensity training is crucial for developing energy systems used during golf. HIIT on a stationary bike looks like this: 10 seconds as fast as you can possibly pedal followed by at least 40 seconds of recovery at 50% pace. Cycle this for up to 8 times. If you notice a fall-off in your max speeds at the 6^th cycle, STOP and recover.

Enhanced Health and Well-Being

• 180 minutes walking or 3 rounds of golf
• 30 minutes HIIT aerobic/anaerobic
• 3 30-minute sessions of strength training