Golfing and Dieting – My Journey

My journey with golf and dieting probably began in high school. My dad was an avid golfer and I dabbled in it a bit. My real love was Ice Hockey. Below is my bio from my eBook; Golf Fitness, What Is It Really:

Growing up in Chicago, Ken had the opportunity to play seasonal sports like baseball in the summer and ice hockey in the winter. Golf was to come along later. I loved watching the Blackhawks play on TV, listening to Lloyd Pettit making the famous call,  “A shot and a goal!” in a manner only Mr. Pettit could convey.

He became a rink rat at the Elmhurst YMCA outdoor ice rink, and was in heaven.  Very early one Sunday morning, while he was working at the rink, the referee for a Mite (7- 8 years old) hockey game didn’t show up and he was thrust into taking on the challenge.  One small detail to mention…because it was an outdoor rink, and the temperature was hovering in the minus something category, he got bundled up with three jackets and a nylon stripped pull over referee jacket and was handed a metal whistle.  If you’ve ever watched the flagpole scene in the movie “A Christmas Story”… your lips and tongue will definitely stick to frozen metal.

That one Mite game in 1964 was the beginning of his dedication to refereeing ice hockey for the next 20 years.  From 1972 -1981 he officiated professional Ice Hockey in the WHA (World Hockey Association), the NHL (National Hockey League) and the International Ice Hockey Federation. He represented the United States as a Referee in the World & European Ice Hockey Championships in 1978 in Prague, Czechoslovakia.  He was chosen to referee the Championship Game between the Czech’s and the Russians (The same Russian team that was defeated by the USA in the 1980 Olympics).  He also officiated the Opening Game of the Canada Cup Series in 1976 (Canada vs. Sweden) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

After his officiating career, he moved to California and created aerobic and fitness programs, along with the first of its kind jump rope program and class at the Hollywood YMCA and other health clubs in Southern California.

While in California, he became an avid golfer, and in 1987 created the portable golf fitness apparatus then called the “GolfGym”.  Later, he and Vicki grew the GolfGym line to include many other golf specific training products.

Dieting – My Struggle

I didn’t struggle with my weight until I was entering high school. Not sure why, but I got kinda fat. When I got serious about refereeing ice hockey, I got more fit and leaner. I stayed that way until about 40 yrs old. Then after getting married to my wonderful wife, Vicki, I started packing on the pounds. I got up to 327 at 55 years old.  Since I “used to be” a professional athlete. I knew I had to make a change. Got in a ketogenic diet plan and got down to 250.

A Real Breakthrough Came with Intermittent Fasting

In September of 2018, Vicki and I started Intermittent Fasting. I is easier than we thought and we have worked it into our schedule on a daily basis…Birthdays and Holidays excluded. I am down to 240 and going for 227. That would mean 100 pounds down. However, Intermittent Fasting is not just for weight loss. The health benefits are substantial.

Here are some great resources for detailed information about Intermittent Fasting:

The Obesity Code Book: https://www.dietdoctor.com/authors/dr-jason-fung-m-d
Dr Fung Interview with Dr Berg on Intermittent Fasting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0eCiy3Z1ls&t=32s
Dr Boz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK0Ct2wJvhw

There are many more videos on intermittent fasting on YouTube.

A great resource for Developing a Skill is the book The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.
http://danielcoyle.com/the-talent-code/

For Golf Instructional Resources, I really like:

Karen Palacios-Jansen
https://www.Cardiogolf.com
https://www.instagram.com/cardiogolf/?hl=en

Mike Bender:
http://www.mikebender.com/mike-bender/
http://www.mikebender.com/tips-and-videos/
https://www.instagram.com/mikebendergolf/

Martin Chuck – The Tour Striker Academy
https://www.tourstriker.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/cmartingolf

Bruce Wilkins:
http://www.brucewilkinsgolf.com/
https://www.instagram.com/brucewilkinsgolf/?hl=en

Good Luck
More resources will be added regularly.