IJGA Newsletter: The Oaks September 2019 | Page 19

cycle continues. He starts to notice he is getting injured more easily, but continues to play through in search or perfecting his swing. As a Mental Performance Coach, I have seen both of these scenarios occur. The mind is such a powerful tool that can be used for the better or the worse. Here are three simple ways to start the journey of thriving your mind: 1. Start to acknowledge your strengths and the things you are doing well! 2. Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night to effectively recharge your body and mind! 3. Become more self-aware with your body language, posture, and self-talk! As we start this semester, let’s work to adapt a healthy mindset to keep your body healthy as well! It starts with today. By, Nick McMillen, M.S., Mental Performance Coach I am in total agreement with the message espoused by Nick McMillen. Indeed, the mind has a powerful effect on the body. Regular meditation practice is a perfect example of a mindfulness activity that can help increase the body’s metabolism, ease stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and improve heart rate and breathing. These physical effects of meditation are strongly supported by scientific research and widely accepted. But let’s remember, it’s a two-way street. If we approach the mind-body connection now from the physical point of view, hopefully you will recognize that a healthy body also contributes to a healthy mind and ultimately a happier you. Research over the past century in fact supports this claim: that daily physical activity can reduce the risk of many chronic illness such as heart disease and diabetes. It is also known to assist with better sleeping habits, lower stress levels and improve energy levels. And these are not the only benefits! Essentially, it means that being physically active and creating or maintaining good lifestyle habits (i.e., nutrition, sleeping etc.) are essential elements to leading a happier life. A company called “Happiness International” even discusses the subject on their website. Calling happiness, “a state of mind” the argument is that to feel happy your body needs to feel “happy” too. That requires a “body in balance: rested, fit, adequately fed, free of excessive stress and able to feel “fully”. In other words, being “healthy” and physically capable of managing what life may throw at you is a major component of being happy. Think of those times when you were either sick or injured and remember if you felt a sense of well-being and contentment! Of course, maintaining good health takes some effort and planning, and does not happen by accident. Keeping this in mind, at IJGA, we aim to create a holistic program for golf improvement for our student-athletes, believing that by integrating the physical and mental programs into the coaching model, we can provide the most successful outcomes. With the goal of having our students become stronger, more flexible, and more powerful athletes, we feel we can assist them in making some of the technical improvements they are seeking to achieve, develop the stamina required to practice daily, while simultaneously reducing the risk of overuse injuries. Hence, we are creating more resilient athletes who will be well-prepared for the rigors of a college program. And we haven’t even mentioned all the associated health benefits! We hope that some of these regular practices will stay them for a lifetime. A happier, healthier life awaits! By, Karen Harrison, Director of Health and Athletic Development 19