23 OP Summer Senior Newsletter Bench Update

HEADING TIPS FOR SENIOR GOLFERS

Golf & Health

Try some exercises to improve your balance and your game There are several exercises golfers can do using their clubs, and these have benefits both on and off the course. Having a limber back and shoulders can improve a golf swing. To stretch, golfers can stand with their feet slightly wider than their shoulders, place a golf club horizontally behind the neck and hang on to the ends of the club. Exhale and twist to the right, pivoting in the left foot. Then, inhale and return to center. Repeat on the other side.

Golfers can also improve balance by practicing lunges. Hold a club parallel to the ground with both hands at chest level. Then step forward into a lunge position, with the knee directly over the heel, making a 90-degree angle with the ground. If it is difficult to balance, try a shorter stride and work into it to develop more flexibility, balance and core strength over time. Golf may drive you crazy, but it also keeps you sane In addition to cardiovascular fitness, golfers experience mental health benefits with increased time in “green space” and social

This article was submitted by Smith Crossing, a senior living community located in Orland Park (10501 Emilie Lane). To learn about Smith Crossing, visit smithcrossing . org or call 708-326-2300.

Take your time! Dedicated golfers don’t like to be slowed down by injuries, but recovering from hip surgery or managing hip pain requires care. Orthopedic surgeons recommend waiting three months after surgery before returning to the game. Because every person recovers differently, communication between the patient and physician is vital. Most people see success by easing into exercise with 10 to 30 minutes of low-impact exercise every day. New golfers, or those who haven’t golfed in many years, also should take into consideration the benefits of starting slow and increasing exercise over time. Trying some gentle shots on a practice green

Smith Crossing resident offers tips for senior golfers “Golf tips are like aspirin,” the late Harvey Penick, professional golfer and noted coach, used to say. “One may do you good, but if you swallow the whole bottle, you will be lucky to survive.” Yet in Orland Park, a village that once declared itself the “World’s Golf Center,” with 1,089 holes within its confines, golf is a way of life. And so is an eagerness to share golf tips. Smith Crossing, a continuing care retirement community in Orland Park, has so many enthusiastic golfers among its residents that a few years ago, the community installed a putting green in its courtyard.

three months a year in Naples, Fla., Doubek golfs year-round. “Golfing is excellent exercise,” Doubek says. “Both walking and swinging a club are great activities for your health.” In fact, research shows there are a number of benefits to playing golf at any age. Golf can be a life saver! According to Golf Digest Magazine, course with 18 holes, and as many as 850 calories riding in the cart. This regular activity has powerful results. A landmark Scandinavian study of more than 300,000 golfers estimated that golfers live approximately five years longer than non-golfers. the average golfer burns more than 1,400 calories walking a

Don Doubek, a resident of Smith Crossing, is among a group of avid golfers at the community. A pharmacist by training, Doubek owns Doubek Medical Supplies and Medical Management Partners in Alsip. Although his children now run both companies, Don remains active on the company’s board and still goes into the office a few hours a day—when he is not traveling. It is no accident that Doubek, who devoted his professional life to promoting healthy living, now dedicates himself to the game of golf. He played a little bit of golf in college and as a young adult, but it wasn’t until he was in his 50s that golfing became a passion. Today, at 85, he golfs several times a week. And, because he spends

interaction with other golfers. “We really do socialize all the time,” says Doubek. “I almost always stop for a meal, or at least a beer, after a round of golf with my friends or my son.”

For more information about Smith Crossing, call

708-326-2300 or visit SmithCrossing.org.

is a good way to get started before trying a full round.

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orlandpark.org orlandpark.org

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