Tennis is a popular sport across continents. It makes for an engrossing spectator sport besides being played by millions for recreation. Since it is an outdoor sport requiring constant movement and quick reflexes, various health benefits are attributed to it. Let us dive deep and learn all about the perks of sweating it out on a tennis court.
Sheds Calories and Fat:
If you are looking to get in shape and want to stave off some of that stubborn fat, all you have to do is take up tennis. Researchers claim that men and women who perform any type of aerobic exercise five days a week tend to lose considerable weight. In fact, an hour-long game of tennis will help you burn anywhere between 400-600 calories.
When you complement this with a healthy diet, you will manifest that fit body you have always dreamt of.
Improves Your Balance:
A tennis player is inherently a good balancer. You have to be stable on your feet to hit the ball wherever it lands. Running to return the ball to your opponent’s court while still not falling is a skill tennis will teach you. So if you think you have two left feet, we urge you to try your hand at tennis to master the art of balancing yourself.
Lowers Risk of Osteoporosis:
Osteoporosis is a disease that is most commonly associated with women, but it is not uncustomary for men to suffer from it too. It is due to altered hormonal levels that bones begin losing mass, leading to increased vulnerability to fractures. Tennis is a surefire way to nip osteoporosis in the bud as professionals confirm its effectiveness in stimulating healthy bone homeostasis. So sign up for tennis, grab a racket, and ball osteoporosis out of the court.
Builds Muscle Coordination:
Stabilizing one part of your body while another is in motion is the art of motor control. This is necessary to be a good tennis player as you have to hold your lower body firm while your arm braces for the full force of the swinging ball.
|Not only this, your core stabilization and body rotating movements also coordinate. So what you may see is just the arm of a player striking the ball on the surface, but it’s actually the entire body coordinating to accomplish that particular movement.
Improves Heart Health:
It is common knowledge that any form of aerobic exercise strengthens your heart. Running around on the court to hit the ball will get your heart rate up. This in turn will promote deep and effective breathing, thus ensuring a more sustainable blood supply to all your organs.
A good blood flow equals ample oxygen to the entire body. In fact, a study has made claims that involving in any racket sport resulted in a 56% reduction in death from any heart ailment.
Read more: How can You Lose Weight by Playing Tennis?
Comprehensive Work-out:
All your muscle groups are equally involved in tennis. When you are lunging, jumping and squatting in all directions to reach the ball, you are putting your lower body to good use. Since the racket is quite heavy in itself and you have to put in enough force so that the ball does not hit the net and topple over in your own court, you are effectively working your upper body too.
Playing tennis truly is a head-to-toe workout. So if you want a break from your routine gym hours but do not want to skip a day, take up this sport.
Works Your Brain:
Your cognitive skills are just like any other muscle and you need to train them too. Tennis is a sport that requires you to be expeditious, prompt, and decisive. Your strategic planning and its effective execution shine through in each game.
This sport will teach you to be quick on your feet, and this rewarding skill will translate into quick decision-making in other areas of your life as well. Dr Joan Finn affirms the formation of new nerve connections in the brain by playing a quick sport such as Tennis.
Read more: 5 Reasons Why Tennis is Best Sport
Boosts Mood:
Playing Tennis, like many other sports releases a stress-reducing chemical called endorphin. That is why you feel an onrush of happy and positive emotions after a good workout. Tennis is a good way to alleviate stress and vent out your frustration as it presents a good outlet by way of hitting balls.
Now you know there are countless health benefits of playing Tennis. It also makes for a good substitute when you are bored of your usual gym workouts and want to mix things up a little.
If you want to learn tennis from one of the best in the court, check out our unluclass by Sania Mirza, one of the most renowned players from India and holder of six Grand Slam titles.
