If you think that exercising is boring and playing a sport can be a better option, then you are absolutely wrong. But the question is which game? According to the UK’s famous sports massage therapist James Roche, it should be a sport that meets all aspects of the fitness chart. He says that any sport should be such that it can work on the heart, lungs, leg muscles, glutes and upper body. Besides, it also improves balance and coordination, agility and speed. If your guess is cricket, football or basketball, it may be slightly wrong. James says it’s tennis. According to researchers in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, people who took up a sport, even at the age of 60 or older, had better aerobic fitness, improved physical function and strengthened mental health. Indeed, tennis improves overall strength, such as grip strength, which is a key indicator of longevity as it is considered a measure of overall muscle health. He believes that playing a sport like tennis regularly can add a decade of healthy life to a person’s life. Their research shows that all these physical benefits mean that tennis players often stay fit longer than the average person. However, this study compared inactive people, not those who play another sport. Tennis players lived an average of 9.7 years longer than inactive people, according to a 25-year Danish study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. This increased life expectancy more than cycling (3.7 years), jogging (3.2 years) and gymming (1.5 years). A separate British study of 80,000 people found that people who played racket sports had a significant reduction in deaths from cardiovascular disease. This was not seen in cyclists, runners and footballers. Some other benefits are also presented here. Help in cognitive area: Playing any sport challenges the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This part controls attention and problem-solving. But in tennis, the frequency of shots is higher than in other sports and the player has to react faster. It slows down the onset of dementia. Bones become stronger: Bones become stronger due to jumps, shocks and impacts. These activities are abundant in tennis. The ideal exercise for strengthening bones is one that involves change of direction, some resistance and jumping. Reduces anxiety: The sound of the ball on the racket itself has an almost meditative effect on the brain. Researchers at China West Normal University found that people who were asked to listen to the rhythmic sounds of a tennis rally for four weeks had a significant reduction in their anxiety scores. Reduces pressure on knees and lower back and strengthens wrists: It is important to do specific exercises every week to strengthen the muscles that support the lower back. Tennis also helps in lifting the arms and legs up and down like plank. Along with the wrists, this is also an excellent exercise for the lower back. The best thing about tennis is that you only need one other person to play it. Both should have some space in the racket and their society. But James advises that no sports shoes should be used in tennis. ‘Tennis involves movements that are different from running, walking or gym training, and good tennis shoes are designed to handle the lateral (left-to-right-right-to-left) pressure generated by the game,’ he says. The bottom line is that if you are bored with regular exercise, then any sport can be a good alternative. And a game like tennis obviously gives longevity. Why not try this game at least once a week to start?
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N. Raghuraman’s Column: Which sport would you choose as an alternative to daily exercise?
