Don’t Neglect Your Brain, Muscles, and Joints
by Greg Pryor, Life Priority co-owner and former Kansas City Royal from the 1985 Championship team
Although I was a pro baseball player for 16 years, my real love in high school and college was golf. I sometimes wonder what might have happened if my life had gravitated towards playing competitive golf instead of baseball.
The reason that I was more drawn to golf than baseball was it was more of an individual performance rather than a team performance. Unlike golf, baseball has umpires, pitchers, and managers, who can have a direct adverse effect on the outcome of your performance (or even if you get in the game). In golf, it is basically your clubs, the course and the weather.
Golf and baseball swings have many similarities. During both swings it is essential to watch the ball, have minimal head movement, and get proper weight shift and follow through. A major difference in the swings is the amount of time between swings. A golfer has several minutes between shots to think about how the next swing (or putt). A baseball player is required to make most swing decisions in a split second. Regardless, playing competitive golf or baseball requires a high level of mental concentration and communication between the brain and muscles.
Hitting a golf ball or a baseball square is mentally physically demanding. Both swings require a certain amount of “muscle memory’ to make the necessary body movements to do what is required to hit the ball square at impact. Both swings also require a quick mental “cleansing” before the next shot or swing. The relationship between the brain and muscles in any athletic endeavor is all controlled by neurotransmitters.
Rudy Ruteger Celebrity Golf Tournament, 2008
Everything that happens in your brain, every memory, every thought, every emotion, every innovation, every “wow, that’s great!” is a result of the release of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are natural substances made by nerve cells in your brain (acquired from your diet) that transmit messages from one nerve cell to another across the synapse that divides them. There is a very good chance that even if you have a good diet, you’re not getting the optimum amount of the raw materials that your brain can use to make neurotransmitters. Contact me at customerservice@lifepriority.com for more info on neurotransmitters.
Athletes who achieve quicker muscle recovery have a better chance to win or succeed at their chosen sport. Muscle Memory™, a product from Life Priority is used prior to exercise (like the repetitious hitting of a golf ball or baseball), to help increase muscle endurance and quicker muscle recovery after exercise. The “miracle molecule” generated from using Muscle Memory improves heart health, energy levels, and impacts every cell, tissue and organ in your body.
Joint inflammation can really hinder optimal performance. To ease joint pain and inflammation many athletes use glucosamine, the main building block for healthy cartilage. Sam Snead, a famous pro golfer, said that when he played well his joints felt “oily”. For a more “oily” golf or baseball swing, I invite you to consider Life Priority’s Joint Decision™ and Total Joint Complex™.
Whether you are trying to perfect the art of hitting of any ball, do not neglect the most important aspects of your swing–your brain, your muscles and your joints.
To your Health! Greg Pryor
KC Royals 1985 World Series Win