How, What, Why…. What the heck is Celtic Sea Salt? And How can it help my golf game?
Before we talk about how it can help your golf swing and golf fitness lets talk about the general benefits. I’ve heard about the general health benefits of Celtic Sea Salt and wondered how it could help my Golf Fitness clients at MPower Physical Therapy. In searching for more information, I found the following article:
"Natural salt is the element that helps to regulate water content in the body. The balance of water and salt in the body is critical. Another key reason why natural salt is so important is because our bodies need trace elements for proper function. These elements are usually not found in food or nutritional supplements in a form that the body can utilize.
However, all 82 of the essential trace elements needed by the body are found in natural unrefined sea salt and are in a bio-available form.
In general, natural sea salt helps to balance the entire body. Some of the more pronounced benefits include the following:
1. Regulates heartbeat and blood pressure. Even though refined salt can cause high blood pressure, natural salt with adequate water intake can help to stabilize irregular heartbeats and normalize blood pressure. In other words, if you have low blood pressure, taking Celtic sea salt can help to raise it. If you have high blood pressure, it can help to lower it.
2. Eliminates mucus buildup. Not only does this salt help to eliminate existing mucus buildup, but it will help to prevent it. This benefit makes it very helpful for people with allergies, asthma, sinus issues, or bronchial congestion.
3. Improves brain function. Sea salt is vital to the health of nerve cells and their ability to communicate and process information. This salt also helps to extract excess acidity and toxins from brain cells.
4. Balances blood sugars. Celtic sea salt is especially helpful for diabetics because it helps to balance blood sugars.
5. Alkalizes the body. Excess acidity in the body is an underlying cause of many diseases. Salt is vital to the removal of excess acid wastes from the cells. In addition, mineral rich salt will help to maintain the optimal acid-alkaline balance.
6. Increases energy. Salt and water are the key elements for the generation of hydroelectric energy in the cells. When sodium and trace minerals are deficient in the body, fatigue will set in.
7. Provides electrolyte balance. Natural Celtic salt will help keep the electrolyte minerals in your body balanced, releasing excess sodium and water. For problems with water retention, gradual sea salt intake can help to release excess water stored in body tissue.
8. Builds immunity. Regular intake of natural sea salt and its highly absorptive minerals can give you a higher resistance to illness, infections, and disease. It can also help your body to heal faster after an injury or surgery.
9. Promotes restful sleep. The abundance of trace minerals in natural sea salt will have a calming effect on the entire nervous system. In addition, the proper ratio of water and salt consumption can help to prevent the need to urinate during the night.
10. Prevents muscle cramps. Muscle cramps are often caused by an electrolyte imbalance, especially a lack of sodium. Celtic sea salt provides these minerals in the correct proportion. Your body will take what it needs and get rid of the rest, as long as you are drinking enough water."
I was first introduced to Celtic Sea Salt by Robert Yang at the Titleist Performance Institute in Carlsbad CA. Robert is the chief nutritionist for Titleist and advises all of their athletes. We have all been there, it’s a hot day and you are on the 15th hole. You wonder why the ball isn’t going as far as it was earlier in the day or why did I just “skull” that shot???
I am sure from reading the list above you might be able to understand a few different ways in which it can help but let’s boil it down to the basics. It all comes down to this… golf is played outside and usually in the heat and a lot of golfers drink alcohol while playing. Our primary job is to stay hydrated to avoid loss of coordination and loss of mobility in our golf swing due to dehydration. Furthermore, you can avoid muscle strains due to cramping. Every season at Mpower Physical Therapy, I treat several calf and hamstring strains that were the result of dehydration during a round of golf. These injuries took my players out of the game for a few weeks and the injuries could have been totally avoided.
Now, I advise my Golf Fitness clients to take a small pinch of celtic sea salt and add it to a bottle of water, shake and drink during your round. This will help you stay hydrated, stay focused during your game and optimize your golf swing! Have fun and play hard!
If you’d like to improve your golf swing, or overall golf fitness, you might want to work with us at M-power Physical Therapy! Give us a call at 612 226-5729 or schedule a session online at: https://www.m-powerpt.com. You can also subscribe to the M-power Physical Therapy YouTube channel for access to more tips and tricks like these!