It is common knowledge that there are more overweight children in society than there has ever been. More and more parents are realising that exercise and a healthy pastime is not only important for themselves, but also plays an important part in bringing up healthy children with self-esteem.
Unfortunately, once children have started to become overweight, they shy away from many of the traditional sports and healthy pastimes that help weight loss. Golf however, is a sport that children can play while carrying a few excess pounds. They don’t have to shower in front of a team and a golf club is a great place to meet new friends, which helps develop self-esteem. If a parent or guardian hasn’t considered golf as an option – it might be time to visit the local golf range. Contrary to many people’s beliefs, golf is an inexpensive game to play but a very healthy one.
Overweight Children Can Enjoy Golf as a Healthy Pastime
- Children can enjoy the atmosphere at a golf range, and enjoy learning a sport that is not initially too taxing.
- The exercise benefits of playing golf are enormous. A normal golf course is about four miles in length and playing a round burns approximately 800 calories.
- Hitting a few balls at the range with friends is a great way to pass the time and it gets the heart pumping. The turning motion of the body during a golf swing is also excellent for stretching out the muscles around the tummy.
- The health benefits of golf are numerous and it will inevitably lead to more self-esteem, the question is can you get your kids to the golf range?
Set an Example for Healthy Children
Children often mirror the attitude of their parents towards exercise. Being overweight can run in families and if, as parents, we prefer to spend weekends indoors, it’s quite possible that our children end up with a similar habit. This is where golf is such a great sport as the whole family can play it. There is no need to don running shorts and spend hours on a treadmill. If you wish you could even have a coffee while the children thrash balls away at the range building up a good sweat.
All it requires is a trip to the local golf range one weekend, hire a few clubs and have a go at golf. The teaching programmes for juniors, organised by the local PGA pro, are often extensive, inexpensive and normally for children with similar ages to help with confidence. Building self-esteem in a pupil is important to every PGA professional.
Giving Children a Healthy Life and Pastime
While it is certainly not the most important factor in the overall happiness of a child, being overweight can certainly damage confidence and self-esteem. For parents who want to encourage a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their children golf is a great pastime to investigate. All the information you could possibly need about starting to play golf is readily available on the Internet and your local PGA pro will be only too pleased to offer advice. There are also numerous self help books and magazines on how to start that give a good idea of what to expect.
The First Tee Organisation
One great place to visit is The First Tee website. This non profit organisation has been set up to help kids and families become healthier through playing golf. Recently, with the help of former number one golfer Annika Sorenstam, they have launched a programme called Nine Healthy Habits which outlines the benefits of good nutrition and exercise. It's a great website full of useful ideas and help for anyone wanting to become healthier.
The initial effort to encourage a healty lifstyle will probably have to come from the parents, but given a few trips to the golf range it is quite possible that the small sacrifice made will be the catalyst for the children taking up a healthy pastime that will last for life.
John Hoskison - John is a class 'A' member of the British PGA and author of the acclaimed book 'Inside - One Man's Experience of Prison'.
