144: Adam Stevenson: The Mind. The Body. The Golf Swing.

Today I am very excited to announce our guest, Adam Stevenson. Adam is a PGA Professional and TPI Certified Fitness and Medical Coach. He has a focus on assessing what a golfer’s body is capable of doing so that together with the golfer’s interest, he can help them find the safest and most effective way possible to achieve their goals of improving their game and their lives. He’s passionate about learning and has an ever growing library. He’s constantly attending educational seminars, workshops and pretty much anything that he feels can help cure his curiosity. Adam’s second passion is coaching and sharing his knowledge with others. Adam was also on the podcast a while back to talk about off-season preparation in episode 19. Adam Stevenson’s Background Adam is the premier golf instructor in Denmark (evn though he’s Canadian ;-). Adam enjoys working with golfers of all ages and levels of expertise, and his approach is to look at every golfer as an individual to try to help them achieve their goals as effectively and efficiently as possible. Adam is the Author of the “Golfers Handbook: Save your golf game and your life”, and his new book “My Mind Body Golf” Adam is also a public speaker, doing workshops and lectures introducing concepts of athletic movement for golfers of all ages and levels of expertise. Highlights from this Episode Some of the biggest things that hold people back, from a mental perspective. Adam believes that a lot of it has to do with ‘self-image’, and how golfers view themselves in relation to their expectations. The importance of breathing when it comes to golf. Having a proper breathing practice can help golfers become more mindful, concentrate better, and remove distractions. We talk about a few tips that anyone can incorporate to help their breathing practice. How to deal with emotions when playing golf. A lot of it all comes down to mindfulness, and not letting the ups and downs of the game get to you. How Adam identifies limitations and flaws in a golfer’s game, and how he approaches fixing them. It often depends on the specific limitation, but Adam explains how seemingly tiny changes can have a huge effect. We discuss the concept of a pecking order when it comes to training: Fixing physical limitations Strength Speed The importance of sleep and a few hacks people can implement to ensure they’re getting a good night’s sleep. Hint: having a pitch black room can significantly improve your sleep. Why good nutrition shouldn’t be complex. The key is to eat whole foods and fresh produce. The more you prepare your own food, the better. What would be your “walk up song” to the tee? Survivor – Eye of the Tiger  Who would you like to spend a day on the course with, and where? Friends and colleagues. Parting words of advice? The golf swing is built from the ground up, but the game of golf is played from the head down. Where to find Adam Stevenson: Adam’s book: http://mymindbodygolf.weebly.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyMindBodyGolf/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamstevenson3 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamstevensongolf/   Episode Sponsors: PGA Tour LIVE: PGATourLIVE.com watch live action from the early morning rounds on Thursday and Friday on your laptop, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Blackberry! RAD Roller: RADroller.com Connect with 18STRONG Facebook Page       Twitter Profile       Instagram Profile Join The 18STRONG Movement! If you listened to the very end of this episode, then you know that there is a movement happening in golf and fitness.  To join, simply follow this link to the private Facebook group!  Once you’re accepted, you are officially part of The 18STRONG Movement!  Introduce yourself to the group and let’s get connected!