Beneficial to health… Why is tennis ideal for prolonging life?
Studies have shown that exercise promotes overall health and protects against age-related diseases. Exercise not only improves physical fitness but also benefits the heart, brain, and lungs, and can contribute to longevity.
Despite the widespread discussion about strength training, walking, and swimming, racquet sports, particularly tennis and badminton, appear to be associated with the greatest increase in life expectancy compared to any other physical activity.
A study published in the journal “Health Care” concluded that table tennis has great potential as a health-promoting activity, offering benefits that extend beyond physical fitness to include mental and social well-being.
Sports that prolong life
The 25-year Copenhagen Heart Disease Study , published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings and involving 8,577 participants, also found that, compared to those who did not exercise, the average lifespan of participants who played racquet sports increased by up to ten years.
According to this study, tennis added 9.7 years, badminton 6.2 years, cycling 3.7 years, swimming 3.4 years, and running 3.2 years.
A separate study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, followed more than 80,000 participants over nine years and compared the impact of different sports on their overall health.
The researchers concluded that people who regularly play racket sports have a 47% lower chance of dying from any cause, compared to those who do not engage in any physical activity.
This was about 20% higher than swimming, which came in second with a 28% decrease in the mortality rate from any cause.
Benefits of tennis
When it comes to longevity, there are several reasons why tennis is an ideal sport. It is inherently a type of exercise that involves playing short bursts of intense movement, followed by short periods of rest.
This keeps the heart rate elevated throughout the exercise, strengthening the heart and improving oxygen absorption. Playing tennis also burns more calories than walking at a steady pace for the same duration.
Tennis is a weight-bearing sport, which puts healthy stress on bones and joints. This is crucial for maintaining bone density and preventing osteoporosis and fractures as we age.
Furthermore, unlike running or cycling, tennis requires movement in multiple directions, which strengthens the balance muscles in the ankles, knees, and hips, and reduces the risk of falling.