May has come and gone and I neglected to mention that May is National Fitness Month.

According to the Mayo Clinic, something like 2.7 percent of Americans are living a healthy lifestyle. And according to the House version of the new health care bill, the entire nation must now be punished. Tens of millions will lose their health insurance. Medicaid will be cut to the bone. Food stamps — also known as nutritional support — will be withheld from elderly people, hungry people and poor people, adding to our reputation as one of the sickest countries in the developed world. We're in a health care crisis. So what's to celebrate?

Here's one thing. President Donald Trump is crazy about golf. He plays often but only in secret. Why do we never ever see President Trump actually playing golf, perhaps inspiring others to do the same? Is he afraid we'll see what he looks like in shorts?

Meanwhile, I have my own reasons to celebrate the mystical and maddening game of golf. I took my first lessons about 20 years ago and have given myself 30 more years to learn it. Along the way, I got certified as a golf-conditioning specialist. Here are four of my best golf training tips for you to putter around with:

SHAPE UP. Golf is not a fitness sport. In a typical four-hour round, you'll spend less than six minutes swinging at the ball. Even counting all the times you bend over to replace the turf you've re-arranged, it won't get you into cardiovascular shape the way running, walking or cycling will.

So if you want to play the best golf of your life, it's wise to approach the golf gods as a fit and flexible person who eats well and maintains strength and endurance off the course and throughout the year.

Your mental training is just as important — visualization and relaxation — because the real secret to low handicap golf, once you've got the basic skills, is to stay calm and concentrated for all 18 holes. Ha-ha-ha.

BOOST THE WORKOUT. Just say no to the electric golf cart. I know it speeds up the game, but I'm more interested in speeding up your heart. Walk the course whenever possible. Pull a cart, or do what many fitness-minded golfers do: Buy a light bag with backpack straps, and carry your own clubs. This makes golf a real workout, but it can also give you the worst backache of your life. So be careful: Bending, twisting and swinging can create aches and pains if you're not tuned in to alignment. Move with awareness, and learn to use your breath to relax your muscles, energize your body and focus your mind.

FLEX AND STRETCH. Commit to a plan to warm up and stretch your golfing muscles on a continual basis, or else, over time, they will get tighter and weaker. Tight muscles — around your hips, along your spine, in your shoulders — are tense muscles, and muscle tension is one of the great enemies of a smooth, repeatable golf swing.

Tight and weak muscles are also more likely to get injured and feel sore. Strength through relaxation is the key. To swing the club with greater accuracy and avoid aches and pains, follow a routine that will give you greater range of motion in your hips, shoulders and torso. Find a great teacher, buy a book, or get help from a golf-conditioning specialist in your area.

KEEP LAUGHING. Golf has inspired a million jokes and cartoons, but we who laugh last know what a seriously demanding game it is, physically and mentally. The margin of error is tiny. The potential for humiliation is huge. That's why some courses are changing the rules to allow for cups the size of Hula-Hoops and golf balls the size of bagels. But that's not the cure. Your attitude is.

Every guru of golf will tell you to stay positive when you play. If you miss a 2-foot putt, don't beat yourself up. Take a breath, shake it off, and smile yourself back into the game. Don't allow your mind to wander to past mistakes or future failures. Be present; be grateful. You're in nature, golfing, one joyful stroke at a time.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS

"I have a tip that can take five strokes off anyone's game: It's called an eraser." — Arnold Palmer

Marilynn Preston is the author of Energy Express, America's longest-running healthy lifestyle column. Her new book "All Is Well: The Art {and Science} of Personal Well-Being" is available now. Visit Creators Publishing at creators.com/books/all-is-well to learn more. For more on personal well-being, visit www.MarilynnPreston.com.