8 Amazing Health Benefits Of Tennis

The health benefits of tennis are numerous, and we will list the 8 most important ones for you in this article on the health benefits of tennis.

Sport generally is well known for keeping us fit and healthy, but what is less well known is how many health benefits can be obtained by playing tennis. According to science, tennis has numerous physical benefits and mental health benefits. We’ve listed the most important health benefits of tennis in the article below.

Cardiovascular Health

It’s no secret that exercise and sports benefit your heart health. Tennis happens to be the best sport. Tennis, being a game that can be enjoyed at any age, is ideal for keeping your optimal heart health for a lifetime.

Tennis provides both aerobic and anaerobic health. Aerobic fitness is excellent for cardiovascular health. Anaerobic exercise trains your muscles to utilize oxygen more efficiently by alternating between short bursts of intensive activity and rest.

Tennis increases oxygen infusion while increasing heart rate, improving your body’s efficiency, and delivering oxygen and nutrients to all parts of your body. The American College of Sports Medicine advises a maximum heart rate of 60% to 90% for aerobic conditioning.

When you play tennis, your heart rate reaches its maximum. If you continue to play, this form of frequent long-term cardiac activity will strengthen your heart. You might get what’s known as an athlete’s heart. A tennis match often runs one to two hours, with the pacing being perfect for boosting cardiovascular health.

Improving your heart health lowers your risk of high blood pressure and of having a heart attack, developing heart disease, or having a stroke.

A 2017 study discovered that participation in racquet sports was associated with a 56% reduction in death from cardiovascular disease (and a 47 percent reduction in risk of death from any cause).

Bone and Muscular Health

Tennis is excellent for more than just your muscles; it is also good for your bones. Regular exercise can improve your peak bone mass and delay the rate of bone mass loss over time. The National Institutes of Health reports that bone health peaks at the age of thirty-five and then begins to go down.

Exercise can help you maximize your bone mass before that age, and continuing to exercise after thirty-five can help delay the rate of bone loss. Tennis is one of the weight-bearing exercises recommended by the NIH for building healthy bone structure.

Weight Loss

Tennis has a calorie burn rate of 400 to 600 calories per hour. Because of the sport’s energetic nature, you tend to burn body fat while playing. You’re also gaining lean muscle, which boosts your metabolism. Tennis can help you lose and keep the weight off.

Immunity

A wealth of research suggests that physical activity can benefit your immune system. Tennis is a physically and mentally demanding sport in the same way. Furthermore, playing tennis outside can enhance your exposure to sunlight and vitamin D intake, which has been linked to a better immune system. It’s also an excellent method to get some much-needed fresh air and oxygen into your lungs.

Coordination

Playing tennis regularly has you develop the fine motor skills essential for tennis ball striking, judging distance, and personal coordination. With various skills and moves, tennis puts your balance, speed, footwork, and hand-eye coordination to the test. As you progress on the court, you may expect these qualities to improve in other areas of your life.

Brainpower

Tennis takes a creative brain, strategizing and coordination of the entire body. As a result, the more you play tennis, the better and stronger the connections on a neurological level start to become associated with those activities, and the better you get at them.

Studies suggest that workouts that demand a lot of thought, such as tennis, can increase brain functioning in ways that benefit memory, learning, social skills, and behavior, in addition to enhancing synaptic connections and producing new neurons.

Stress

A scientific study showed that playing tennis once a week lessens depression and anxiety symptoms and improves well-being in healthy young people. A weekly game of tennis with peers promotes the secretion of the neurochemical serotonin by the brain, affecting feelings of well-being. Serotonin not only enhances our mood by relieving anxiety, stress and depression but also affects sleep, appetite and libido.

Self-Esteem

Compared to their non-playing peers, young tennis players develop a more fulfilled sense of well-being and self-worth and have a more positive attitude toward themselves and their environment.

FAQs

What Are the Main Physical Health Benefits of Playing Tennis Regularly?

Improved aerobic and anaerobic fitness, stronger muscles in your lower body, upper body and core, improved metabolic function, better stamina, increase in bone density, better bone health, stronger immune system, less body fat, and lower resting heart rate.

Is Tennis a Good Sport for Seniors?

Tennis isn’t a game just for young people. More and more seniors learn to play the game for many good reasons. There’s no upper limit to the age at which you can start learning and playing this game called “the sport of a lifetime.”

One review of academic research into tennis’ effect on the elderly found that veteran tennis players showed several improved health makers.

Is Tennis Good for Your Mental Health?

Tennis has the brain emit endorphins and serotonin. Both of these are known to boost your mood, among other benefits.

Extra Resource

If you’d like to read more about this topic, I urge you to check out the USTA (United States Tennis Association) website here for more in-depth information.