In the pursuit of performance success on the golf course, I am frequently asked by my golf performance clients, "What's more important? My ability as a golfer ... Or, is it my attitude?"

Well, the answer to this question is very simple and can be confirmed over and over from many examples in the annals of golf history, as well as, in every other sport.  I will answer the question in this simple and direct way, "Attitude is Everything!" When it's all said and done, the golfer with the better attitude will always out-perform the golfer with a poor attitude - even if the poor attitude golfer has a relatively better natural ability to play the game.

Why is this true? 

Psychologists tell us that a major source of stress in our life is the "fear of rejection" or "fear of criticism". This fear of rejection manifests itself in an over-concern for the approval or disapproval from our parents, from our golf coach, from our teammates and/or peers. The fear of rejection is often learned in early childhood as the result of our parents, teachers or other authority figures in our lives giving us "conditional love." 

Rise Above the Need For Approval
Many parents make the mistake of giving love and approval to their child only when the child does something that they want them to do. Children who grow up with this kind of 'conditional' love, in turn, tend to seek unconditional approval from others all of their lives, and in everything that they do. When children with this 'learned' experience from their environment become adults, this need for approval from their parent is transferred to every other relationship and experience they have - including their interactions with their golf coaches and the mentors that make up their total golf performance team; golf-specific mental coach and fitness training specialist. The adult golfer can then become preoccupied with the opinion of their coaches. This preoccupation can lead to an obsession to perform to some undetermined high standard.

Avoid Type A Behavior
Doctors Rosenman and Friedman, two San Francisco heart specialists, have defined this obsession for performance as "Type A behavior." Experts have concluded that approximately 60% of men and as many as 30% of women are people with Type A behavior.

Don't Burn Yourself Out
This Type A behavior can vary from mild forms to extreme cases. Golfers who are what they call "true Type A's" usually put so much pressure on themselves to perform in order to please their parents, spouses, coaches, and teammates, for example, that they burn themselves out. Not only do they perform way below their true potential as golfers - regardless of their true talent level as golfers - but many end up 'hating' to play golf altogether and quit the game out of total frustration. Worse yet, some golfers, with extreme issues in this area, actually die of heart attacks before the age of 55! This Type A behavior, triggered by conditional love in childhood, is a very serious stress-related phenomenon in the American workplace, and in the world of high-level sports - including golf.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do, as a golfer, and in life, to immediately deal with the fear of rejection, criticism and disapproval ... and to improve your attitude for optimal performance both 'on' and 'off' the golf course.

1) Realize and accept that the opinions of others are not important enough for you to feel stressed, unhappy or over concerned about them. Even if they dislike you entirely, it has nothing to do with your own personal worth and value as a person. In other words, the reality is, your golf scores do not define who you really are and what your true value is as a person! Your true 'worth' and value comes from your chosen creator, and can never be determined by any human being - even your parents! 

2) Refuse to be over concerned about what you think people are thinking about you. The fact is that most people are not thinking about you at all. They are thinking about about themselves! Relax and get on with your life.

If you'd like to talk about any challenges, frustrations or stresses you are having with your golf game and would like a better attitude both on and off the golf course, please contact me for a FREE consultation by calling: 630-567-7572 or by email at: Paul@CallawayGolfFitness.com  

 

Energy is a key luck factor. For you to be at the top of your form, to be action oriented, fast moving, and extremely productive, you have to have high levels of energy - both physically and mentally.

For you to be able to take advantage of all the possibilities around you, and to have the continuous enthusiasm that keeps you and others motivated and moving ahead, you have to organize your life so that you feel terrific about yourself most of the time.

1. Eat the Right Foods
The first key to high energy is a proper diet. To perform at your best, you must eat the right foods, in the right balance, and in the right combination. Your diet has an inordinate impact on the amount of energy you have, how well you sleep, your levels of health and fitness, and your performance throughout the day and into the evening. To support your diet, I suggest supplementing with whole food, organic sources of nutritional supplements.  The best source I have found is from Nikken  http://www.nikken.com/product/technology/#kenzenWellness 

2. Watch your Weight
The second key to high energy is proper weight. Proper weight is essential for health, happiness, and long life. Being slightly under your ideal weight is best. As they say, you can never be too rich or too thin. If you are not happy with your current level of physical health, you need to set specific goals for yourself for the weeks and months ahead. Having an optimal weight management support plan can also be helpful. The product technologies I use to help my clients achieve their target weight are the Body Balance organic meal replacement shakes from Nikken  http://www.nikken.com/product/technology/#kenzenWellness . 

3. Exercise is Essential
The third key to high energy is proper exercise. The best activity for high energy and physical fitness is aerobic exercise. This type of exercise requires that you get your heart rate up into what is called the training zone three times per week. This training zone is about 120 to 160 beats per minute, depending on your age. You then keep it there for at least 20 minutes or more each session.  Power walking with the Nikken Cardiostrides - a specially-designed walking shoe that helps increase your metabolism when used regularly - is what I encourage my clients to do for regular exercise to build energy and control their weight. Info about the Cardiostrides can be found at http://www.nikken.com/product/technology/#kenzenWellness . 

4. Get Lots of Rest and Recreation
The fourth key to high energy is proper rest. You need an average of seven to eight hours of sleep each night to be fully rested. You need to take off at least one full day each week during which you don't work at all. You should take regular mini-holidays of two or three days each, every couple of months. You should take one and two week vacations each year when you relax completely and get your mind totally off your work.  Optimal rest and restoration can also be facilitated and enhanced through the Nikken Kenko Sleep Technology http://www.nikken.com/product/technology/#kenzenWellness .
   
5. Develop a Positive Mental Attitude
The sixth key to high energy is the elimination of negative emotions. This can be the most important thing you do to assure a long and happy life. Your ability to keep your mind on what you want and off of what you don't want will determine your levels of health and happiness more than any other decision you make. Having a mentor that you can consult with, can facilitate and hold you accountable to your daily positive attitude is very helpful. If you ever want to schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more about how to keep your thoughts, feelings and actions on a positive track, please contact me atPaul@CallawayGolfFitness.com .  

6. Start a Personal Mental Fitness Program
The seventh key to high energy is for you to go on a 21-day positive mental attitude diet, one day at a time. Resolve that, for the next 21 days, you are going to keep your mind on what you want and keep it off the things you don't want. You are going to think and talk positively and optimistically about your goals, other people, and everything that is going on in your life. This is just one great example of the helpful mechanisms that can keep you on track to energizing your results in life. If you want to learn about many more helpful resources for improved energy and improved results, then contact me for a FREE consultation at Paul@CallawayGolfFitness.com .

7. Become a Personal Powerhouse
The more you practice the health habits we have talked about, the more energy and vitality you will have. The more you keep your conversation focused on your goals and on the things you want, the greater the amount of strength and power you will feel. You will be more alert and aware. You will feel more positive and action oriented in every situation. Remember, to have more positive and energized results, you must first have more positive and energized beliefs. Because beliefs create thoughts, thoughts create feelings, feelings drive behavior/actions and behavior/actions produce our results.  

Action Exercise
Resolve to become intensely action oriented from now on; whenever you get a good idea or something needs to be done, move quickly.

 

 

If we didn't have 'stress' in our lives, we would all be living pain-free. We’d also go about our days in a much more joyful and
playful manner, not to mention we’d also be happier, healthier, and simply enjoy life better.

 

Chronic and severe stress can damage your body and mind, blocking the fluid communication to and from most organs – especially in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center.

 

And, as 'stress' is the opposite of 'ease', even if you have relatively lower levels of stress or 'dis-ease' over long periods of time, the stress levels you do have can eventually produce 'disease'.

 

So, let me share with you '10' very simple and effective ways to remedy your stress that you can get started on right away. Some of them you may have heard before… others you probably haven’t. But if you begin practicing some of these techniques and making them regular parts of your daily experience, then they will provide you with a happier, healthier, more pain-free life.

 

1. Laugh More – Research has continually shown that on average, the more a person laughs, the less stressed they are and the longer they live. I recommend looking up clips on YouTube for things that make you laugh, reading comics, watching TV shows which make you giggle, talking to a funny friend, or anything else which helps you laugh more.

 

2. Exercise – As you exercise your body releases endorphins, often referred to as “happy chemicals,” because they literally melt stress from your body like magic. And no, you don’t have to grunt and groan in order to shake the stress – although you can if that’s what you like to do!

 

3. Pray/Meditate – Praying to your chosen higher power and/or meditating are some of the most effective long-term stress relievers ever discovered. By making a focused, mindful connection to your creative source, you effectively slow your brain waves from a high beta stage down to a low alpha, that helps to dissolve stress and reduce pain.

 

4. Breathe Deeply – I’d like you to try something for me. As you’re reading this, become aware of your current stress levels. Think hard about exactly how you’re feeling at this moment. Really think hard about how those emotions make you feel (i.e. are you anxious, have tight muscles, stressed, worried, etc.) and then take 10 very slow, very deep breaths and do the same thing. Feel the difference?

 

5. Simplify Your Life – Between juggling our family lives, jobs, personal activities and everything else we have going on, sometimes life gets a little crazy. Simplifying your life is much easier than it sounds, and can work wonders. It simply means removing clutter from your house, focusing on 1 task at a time instead of trying to multi-task (which is a huge productivity killer), and getting rid of anything not absolutely necessary.

 

6. Drink Green Tea – Green tea is packed with something called “theanine” which increases the brain’s output of relaxation-inducing alpha waves and reduces the output of tension-making beta waves. If you’re a tea drinker I’m sure you’ve noticed the calming effect it has on you – and now you know the science behind it!

 

7. Learn To Forgive – Throughout our lives many things happen which cause us to hold grudges against friends, family, co-workers, etc. Every single time you hold a grudge against someone, that grudge places an extra weight on your own mental tension. Just imagine how many grudge (big OR small) you’ve had over the past 10, 20, 30, 50+ years… and think about how much it may be weighing your emotions down. Learn to forgive and you’ll find your emotional stress – and your pain – begins to slowly fade away into the background.

 

8. Write A List Of Everything You’re Thankful For – Research has shown that it’s literally impossible to be stressed about something and be thankful for something at the same time. I suggest setting aside 20 minutes once per week and writing down every single thing you’re grateful for in your life. It works wonders.

 

9. Take A “You” Day – Every once in awhile, we all need a day for ourselves. Away from the kids, the husband, the wife, the friends, the TV, work etc. Go take a walk in the woods, or go to the movies by yourself, or go shopping… whatever it is that you love to do!

 

10. Eat/Drink Any Of These 10 Foods And Drinks – Blueberries, low-fat or skim milk, oranges, brown rice, green vegetables, dried apricots, turkey, soy, sweet potatoes and water (Nikken PiMag water http://www.nikken.com/product/technology/#piMagWater is the best water quality to promote a healthy, properly hydrated body that I have ever found.) Each of these help our bodies release more happy chemicals into the brain – helping reduce stress by simply eating!

 

Try implementing just 1 of these 10 stress-busters each week over the next 10 weeks. Each week simply add one more and before you know it you’ll find much of your stress left in the past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's right! Although cinnamon does NOT directly increase your fat burning through the increase of your metabolic rate, it CAN actually help you burn off fat potential and help you get leaner in an indirect way.
 
Here's how...

In addition to cinnamon's dozens of other important health benefits, the main benefit that will help you to get leaner is through it's strong physiological impact on www.nikken.com/shop/details/!jade-greenzymes  controlling blood sugar levelsin your body.

In the 2003 study from the medical journal Diabetes Care, groups were split into people taking 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day in capsule form (the equivalent of approximately 1/4th to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon).

The results showed that all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 18-29% after 40 days.

Cinnamon can also increase insulin sensitivity, which means that it is helping your body to control blood sugar while simultaneously allowing your body to produce less insulin.

As you know, chronically high insulin levels can make your body produce and store more fat.

Two simple ways to use cinnamon in your battle against stubborn belly fat include:

1) Use cinnamon daily in your meals when you can, such as in yogurt or cottage cheese, in smoothies, oatmeal, or anything else you can think of where it would go well.

2) You could use a cinnamon capsule before each of your meals.

These two methods can help you control blood sugar and insulin response from your meals and thereby control your appetite and cravings throughout the day ... hence, helping you to lose body fat more effectively over time.

So, cinnamon is not only a powerful antioxidant that can help you stay youthful longer, it can also help you to control blood sugar and get a leaner body!

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In the past decade, much scientific focus and research has been placed on the 'theory'  that most, if not everything about we look like, how we feel, and how we behave is strongly influenced by our genetic make up.  From various health challenges like diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular problems, skin conditions, obesity and cancer, to sexual preference, personality traits and anti-social behavioral issues like kleptomania, gambling, drug and/or alcohol addictions.  

 

But, there is another viewpoint that has gained much traction over the past several years that suggests that our 'thoughts' and the feelings that are created by those thoughts are what fundamentally produce our results. Books like, Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, and more recently, Rhonda Byrne's The Secret state the case for "The Law of Attraction" being the driving force behind how "we become what we think about".

 

I know, you are probably thinking, "What's the big deal ... the 'nature' vs 'nurture' debate has been going on forever, right?" And, you'd be very justified in thinking that. However, until recently, the only significant research that supported this discussion one way or the other pointed much more heavily in the balance of our 'nature' (our genetic coding) being responsible for who we are and most everything that we think, feel and do - not the other way around. 

 

So, when I came across the October, 2010 issue of Experience Life Magazine (the monthly wellness magazine produced by Lifetime Fitness) and read the section of Jon Spayde's article, '5 Ways to Upgrade Your Brain' called, Your Thoughts Affect Your Genes, I found it extremely interesting!

 

Moreover, my healthcare professional mind began to wonder, "If the research supporting this article is really true, then what might the real possibilities be in shifting the current 'chemical/drug/surgery' emphasis on the treatment of diseases to a new paradigm focus on leveraging our 'mind/thoughts/feelings' as the initial and primary approach to preventing and even treating various diseases?"  The possibilities are endless and, to me, extremely exciting!

 

As Jon Spayde's article is not generally available to non-members of Lifetime Fitness, I wanted to include some of the key points in this blog for your review. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If this article and the information provided interests you and you'd like to talk more about how to help leverage your mind and your thoughts to improve your health, and/or your your total wellness and performance results, then give me a call (630-567-7572) or email me at Paul@CallawayGolfFitness.com so we can explore some possibilities together. 

 

 

 

 

       

 

Do your joints and muscles ever hurt?

 

If so, then you'll definitely want to learn more about the real solution I discovered  ... now available to you at:

 

For over 25 years, my ankles, knees and lower back hurt constantly ... every step of every day! It was 'no fun' at all! I was 40 years old but felt like I was 80! Any time I tried to do anything physical ... take a walk, hit golf balls, exercise ... my joints and muscles hurt - badly!

 

My problem started when I was a teenager playing sports. I was at basketball ball camp when, on the second day of camp in a scrimmage game, I rolled my left ankle severely! I heard and felt a 'pop'! I tried to keep playing but the pain was so severe and my ankle swelled instantly to the size of a grapefruit. By the next day, I had major bruising all around the outside of my ankle and my participation in camp was over for that week.

 

Unfortunately, I had registered and pre-paid for another camp the following week. I attended the camp and played all week on my ankle without re-injuring it again BUT I never gave my ankle the proper rest and recovery it needed to completely heal.

 

The rest is history. My ankle was never the same. I developed chronic instability in that left ankle and, year after year, no matter what I tried, I kept re-spraining my ankle until I was told by my doctors that severe arthritis had set in.

 

Worse yet, because of how my body was attempting to compensate for the weakness, instability, pain and dysfunction in my left ankle, all my other joints ... right ankle, both knees, and my lower back took a beating. By the time I was in my mid-20's all of those other joints and the surrounding muscles were hurting as well. I was a mess! I felt like my 'physical' life was over!

 

Now the good news! Fast forward 20 years, after giving up everything except for playing golf (and having to take a cart whenever I played because of my joint pain), at the age of 40 I was introduced to some amazing, 'natural' (non-prescription) wellness technologies by my doctors that totally changed my life forever.

 

There were a number of wellness products that were suggested to me at the time so I tried them as recommended.  After all ... what did I have to lose?  I hurt every day, I couldn't even take a walk with my family without hurting, and I had tried everything I knew of to feel better up to then - but nothing had really helped!

 

What I discovered was that these products were extremely safe, so simple to use, and highly effective when used properly and consistently over time. In just 3 weeks I was feeling much better!  And, in 3-4 months, my joint problems were totally GONE!

 

I was amazed at how I felt!  My ankles and feet, my knees and my lower back all felt so much better. I could stand, walk, and play golf again ... I could even walk 18 holes and play multiple rounds per week for the first time in years without any discomfort! My joint range of motion, flexibility, strength, balance and total function all improved. It seemed too good to be true!

 

For several months, I kept expecting my symptoms and dysfunction to all come back again as it had before with other short-term remedies that only addressed the symptoms. But this new approach went directly to the 'source' of the problem. And, now 14 years later, I still have no joint-related challenges!

 

So, if you are hurting -or- if you know of someone who hurts, please do yourself/them a big, BIG favor and learn more about what could just just turn out to be the best decision you ever made for your joints...http://www.nikken.com/shop/details/!kenzen-joint

 

After all, what do you have to lose ... but the quality of the rest of your life?

 

Your partner in success,Paul Callaway, PT, PhDPS - If you have any questions after visiting this site and want any 1-on-1 counseling/advice/support to streamline your information process and accelerate your results, then please contact me directly at (630) 567-7572 or emailing me at PaulCallaway@att.net