New years resolutions come around every year and for most of us, we will
repeat the same mantra we did the year before. Get fit, lose weight, stop
smoking, lead a more balanced lifestyle, join a gym, eater better, reduce the
handicap – the list goes on. So why are new years resolutions so difficult to
achieve? Simply because we didn’t achieve our new years resolutions last
year… or the year before…. or the year before that… We go in the each new
year thinking, ok, a new year, new start, time to make some changes. New
year timing gives us some ray of hope that the magical turning of the
calendar year will make success that much easier.

According to a study, 55% of us made the resolution to eat healthier, 50%
were determined to exercise more, and 38% vowed to lose weight. Research
shows that only 20% of resolution hopefuls actually maintain their new
habits for more than 3 months. By the end of the year however, this number
dwindles to below 10%.

I want you to start thinking about your goals in a different light. January 1st
is the same as any other day. What would you like to achieve? What goals do
you have? You can start to make positive changes from TODAY! It doesn’t
have to wait till the New Year.

2007 has seen a huge increase in the popularity of golf and many
newcomers have surfaced wanting to learn how to play , so I am going to tie
in how you can get lean and get fit for golf at the same time. Regardless of
your goals, the following steps are essential for goal achievement and
permanent lifestyle change.

Many don’t think of golf as being a very physical sport, nor does it require
any level of fitness. You couldn’t be any further from the truth. Golf is very
complex sport and takes a lot of physical qualities to play it well. The
following tips will help you lose fat and play better golf in 2008.

1. Assess your starting point: take before photos, have your current body
   fat, muscle, water and BMR tested. Golf Specific. Measure your drive
   length and have a TPI golf fitness assessment.
2. Change your eating habits: Eat 5 smaller meals every 3 hours instead
   of 3 big meals. Golf Specific: Eat 2 hours before tee off. Eat some
   healthy carbohydrates like half a banana or a cereal bar every 3 holes.
   Rehydrate well. This will keep your energy and blood sugar levels
   consistent throughout the round.
3. Strength Training: Sessions of 30 minutes in duration, 2-3 days per
   week. A minimum of 2 days of strength training per week. Combine full
   body training rather than isolated strength machines. Training the
   whole body as a system allows you to burn more calories and trains
   the muscles in integration, not isolation. Full body training will also
   help improve the body mechanics and develop more power with less
   effort. Golf Specific: Butt is King! So incorporate lots of squats, lunges
   into your program. Power is generated from the glutes, and transferred
   to the core, arms and club head. So never neglect your butt! Strong
   butt creates a rock solid base and set up position, leading to maximum
   power and distance.
4. Cardiovascular Training: Interval training has proven to be more
   effective than long duration low intensity training. So aim for 20-30
   minute sessions. Interval training is continuous exercise with short
   high intensity periods followed by longer low intensity work loads. The
   result: Burn more calories, in less time, boot your metabolism and
   continue to burn more post activity. This also increases your level of
   fitness so you can train harder and achieve more in less time. The
   result for Golf. You will less fatigued, and play your best golf on the
   18^th!
5. Get the right advice! You get what you pay for. In the long run it is
   more important to pay for the right advice, the advice that will
   guarantee to help you achieve your goals. Testing for your limitations,
   strengths and weaknesses are crucial to develop the right program for
   you to improve your golf.

Fitcorp Asia is the only organisation in Thailand certified by the Titleist
Performance Institute (TPI) in golf fitness conditioning. A complete fitness
and performance company specialising in fat loss, golf fitness and corporate
health. Fitcorp Asia is now located on the 20th Floor, Ocean Tower 2,
Sukhumvit Soi 19. Telephone: 02 661 7900, Fax: 02 661 7905, Email:
info@fitcorpasia.com