Find out some of the physical and mental health benefits to be gained from playing tennis on a regular basis to encourage you to hit the courts.
12 Benefits of Playing Tennis
There is no doubt that tennis is a popular sport. Hundreds of millions of viewers watch major tennis events every year. Billions of dollars are bet on tennis annually making it the second most popular sport to wager on in the world. According to the International Tennis Federation there are some 87 million people that play tennis globally. One of the great things about tennis is it takes very little to get started. It is also a sport that can be taken up at any age and after a few hours of tennis you can relax and try your hand at gambling with a Buzzluck casino bonus.
Regular tennis players will be happy to know that playing tennis has some great health benefits. According to the Copenhagen City Heart Study tennis increases the life expectancy of regular players 9.7 years over those who don’t participate in physical activities. This was the best of any sport. So why is tennis so good for our health? Here are 12 of the ways playing tennis contributes to better health:
Weight-loss
When you play tennis you are going to be doing a lot of running, reaching and swinging which will involve almost every part of your body. That kind of physical activity burns calories. According to the American Dietetic Association a recreational tennis player may burn anywhere from 600 to 1320 calories during a two-hour singles match and competitive players will burn even more. This is more than many other recreational sports like golf or weight lifting. To put this into perspective you need to burn around 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat.
Good for the Heart
Tennis involves both aerobic and anaerobic activity. You will take deeper breathes more often and your heart rate will be increased. Over time this will strengthen your heart and improve its efficiency while reducing the risk of heart disease significantly.
Helps Prevent Osteoporosis
Playing tennis is good for your bones. Our bones can become weaker as we age and can break more easily due to loss of bone mass. When bones deteriorate faster than new bone develops this is called Osteoporosis. Playing tennis regularly before the age of 30 helps to maximize bone mass and regular play after 30 can reduce the rate of bone loss. What this boils down to is that playing tennis will give you stronger bones.
Improve Flexibility
Playing tennis will have you performing all sorts of swinging and reaching motions which is a good thing. These types of motions will strengthen your tendons and increase your overall range of motion which in turn will put less strain on your muscles and reduce the chance of injuries.
Healthier Immune System
Exercise makes your immune system stronger so being less susceptible to catching a cold or some other illness is a nice by-product of playing tennis.
Improved Stamina
As mentioned earlier, the aerobic and anaerobic activities you perform during a tennis match are going to up your heart rate. Oxygen intake is going to go up as well. In addition to improving your cardiovascular health your stamina will also increase. You won’t become tired as quickly on the tennis court or while performing regular daily activities.
Improved Strength and Speed
Tennis involves a lot of quick bursts or sprints for brief periods of time as well as jumping and leaping about, which serves to increase leg strength as well as speed. Swinging a tennis racquet for a couple of hours is going to tone the muscles in your upper body as well as help to strengthen your core.
Better Agility, Balance and Coordination
Playing tennis helps train your body to improve balance. There are a lot of quick side-to-side motions as well as movement forward and backward. At the same time you are anticipating and tracking the ball while trying to time your swing so as to hit the ball and make a successful return to your opponent. This aids in improving you balance and agility as well as your hand-eye coordination when done over a period of time.
Improved Cognitive Abilities
Tennis isn’t just good for the body; it is also good for the brain. Although physical skill is involved, there is also a lot of strategy as well. Players have to react quickly and make decisions in a short amount of time. Detecting the motion and speed of the ball and reacting to it has been shown to enable a player’s brain to create new neural connections and improve cognitive abilities. Playing tennis improves your ability to think.
Improved Mental Well-being
Playing tennis can also provide some emotional benefits. To start with it is a great way to relieve stress and take a brief break from some of life’s problems. Playing tennis releases endorphins which are hormones that make you feel happier. It also regulates serotonin which is a brain chemical related to the sleep cycle, appetite and emotions. According to a report published in 2017 by the Tennis Foundation, 91% of people who play tennis maintain it has improved their self-confidence and 68% of those asked feel happier since taking up tennis.
Social Interactions
Tennis requires at least two people to play and 4 if you will be playing doubles. Whether you are playing singles or doubles you are going to be interacting with people who have at least 1 thing in common with you. According to one report over 60% of people who play tennis say they feel less isolated. Having face-to-face social interaction can help reduce the chances of depression which is beneficial to your health.
Works the Whole Body
Playing tennis provides a complete workout and exercises virtually every part of the body. Upper-body, lower-body and core all get a full workout during the course of a match.
