Make The Turn Challenge #12: Beverage Blast

By Jeff Ritter

Although eating gets much of the focus in the area of nutrition, what you drink is just as important.

Many golfers chug sports drinks, guzzle sodas or sip on Arnold Palmers throughout their round. There's no one cooler than the "King" but unfortunately Arnold Palmers don't make the cut on the better beverage list.

Many of these processed beverages are loaded with refined sugars, artificial sweeteners and other hazardous ingredients that can only be identified with a chemistry book. And that's simply not good for you.

Hydrating properly not only has a positive impact on your game. It can aid weight loss, increase energy, improve digestion and support overall health.

This is something that might take a little time to fully incorporate into your lifestyle, but

it's going to make a huge difference. For me the biggest impact came from making just a few small changes.

First, I started drinking more water. Before my morning coffee, I always down a tall glass or two to rehydrate and get a step ahead of the long day I'll be facing on the lesson tee. Secondly, I dropped indulging in the coffee's at Starbucks with all of the fancy names. These drinks aren't coffee, they're desserts and will make you as fat as starting the day eating birthday cake. Black coffee with an all natural sweetener called "Stevia" has become my "go to" for the last 5 years. For lunch, no more sodas.

In fact, no more sodas at all. I drink unsweetened brewed tea and add a lemon wedge for flavor. Trust me you'll get used to it. On Sunday's I watch a lot of sports, so if I'm craving a soda-like drink I'll have a "Zevia" which is an all natural soda replacement beverage sweetened with the same stuff I'm putting in my coffee. It's actually pretty good and comes in a ton of flavors. Finally, when letting loose, I'm drinking more red wine. Pino Noir tops the better booze list, so that's what I'm getting when the wife and I enjoy a nice dinner together.

All of these little adjustments have helped me and I know they'll do the same for you. Little steps lead to big results. Prove that you can enjoy a better beverage plan for just one day at the course and you can count this nutrition challenge as complete.

Benefits

Better Hydration

Improved Focus

Protects Against Harmful Additives and Chemicals

Jeff Ritter is the CEO/Founder of__ MTT Performance__. The program operates out of Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, Calif. Follow him on Twitter at @mttgolf*