Tennis is a really easy activity to get stuck into. You do not need much in the way of equipment either. Just a racquet and ball basically. Although it’s probably worthwhile looking at tennis bags to protect your racquet! It might get damaged hanging out of a rucksack after all.
Also, you may have noticed that professional players have sweatbands on their wrist and head. These stop sweat affecting grip or dripping into their eyes and impacting their performance. So, it’s worth buying those especially as they can be picked up very inexpensively.
Now you know how little you need to get started; you don’t have an excuse to put off playing tennis!
Heart Health
Not all exercise is equal you need moderate to high intensity to get the full benefit. Fortunately, tennis is quite the cardiovascular workout, chasing balls around the court.
Studies have shown that playing tennis for as little as three hours a week can reduce your risk of heart disease by 50%.
Bone Density
Playing tennis regularly helps build bone mass. Bones in the racket arm can be 20% thicker and have more bone mineral. Weak thin bones mean your prone to osteoporosis. Usually, you don’t know you have osteoporosis until bones break more easily. So, it’s a good idea to have an active lifestyle to help prevent these issues developing as you age.
Life Expectancy
Believe it or not studies by the Mayo Clinic have shown that playing tennis can increase your life expectancy by 10 years. That’s a lot of valuable extra time to enjoy with your friends and family.
Brain Power
Playing tennis can help increase your brain power because it requires tactical thinking and staying focused. Being active also means more oxygen is making its way to your brain, this in turn helps avoid conditions such as dementia.
Mental Health
Tennis doesn’t just improve your physical health its great for mental health too. Midlands Partnership NHS Trust have seen the value of this and are currently offering free tennis lessons to their patients. Studies have shown that those playing tennis have decreased levels of anxiety and depression.
Improves Balance
Tennis can help improve balance because of this you are less likely to have a fall that could lead to injury such as hip fractures. We start to decline from 30, it starts slowly so is barely noticeable to begin with. That’s why its so important to continue to exercise so we can avoid falls as we age. Fortunately, tennis is considered a lifelong sport, with many continuing to play up to 80 years of age.
How To Play Tennis Safely?
Tennis is not without risk though. You do need to have a proper warm up routine to avoid injuring yourself. Stretching muscles is essential to avoid strains. As you get older you might also want to change the surface you play on. Clay courts which are made of sand and crushed stone are the best option. Whilst grass courts can aggravate lower back and hip problems. Whereas hard courts do not reduce the impact energy like clay does. Therefore, your body has to deal with that impact, leading to more knee and ankle sprains.