Any type of exercise is good for us. As we age, the kinds of activities we can do will change, but we still need to keep moving. One of the most popular activities is pickleball.
This game is rapidly gaining popularity among young and old, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a fun game that almost anyone can enjoy and it isn’t as stressful on the body as some other types of exercise.
Increased Heart Rate
Pickleball is an excellent form of cardiovascular exercise. The repetition of swinging the paddle and moving around the court will elevate your heart rate.
This is good as it means you are burning calories and working up a sweat. Regular exercise helps lessen your chances of heart disease and strokes, as the heart pumps blood and oxygen throughout your body and brain.
When you increase your heart rate, it pumps the blood through your body. This helps to remove toxins, lowers cholesterol, and can even help to prevent certain types of cancer.
Physical Health
The constant swinging of the paddle and running around the court keeps your muscles firm and toned. As we get older we often don’t take as much exercise as needed.
Stronger muscles help you in all your daily activities. Walking, maintaining your balance, and helping to build stamina. Falls are a serious issue with seniors, so stronger muscles will help avoid them.
Even light cardiovascular exercise can help you breathe better, help you sleep better, and help to maintain a healthy weight. Even playing pickleball once a week for 30 minutes will go a long way to improving your overall health.
Low Impact
Playing pickleball requires you to swing your paddle from the hip, not over your head. You don’t need to jump up to get the ball and you don’t need to zoom around the court, risking injury.
Pickleball is much easier on the joints than many other aerobic types of activities. There is little to no risk of joint pain or injury. The paddle is lighter and there is no need to hit the ball very hard.
Cognitive and Coordination
Pickleball requires great hand-eye coordination. This means you need to think on your feet in order to make your shots. This is a great exercise for many other daily activities.
It also helps to improve your cognitive skills. Planning moves and trying to stay in sync with your partner requires fast thinking. Again, these are skills that will help you throughout your entire day.
Elevated Moods
Pickleball might look relatively easy, but it requires quite a bit of energy. The exercise moves oxygen to your brain and this increases your mood along with your cognitive skills.
After we exercise, we often feel exhilarated. Burning calories, having fun, and hanging out with people are all mood-boosters. Doing this once or twice a week will have a very positive effect on your overall mood.
Getting out on the court and smashing a ball around is also a great stress reliever. Any type of exercise is but when you play a sport with other people, it can help to relieve stress, anger issues, and depression.
Social Activity
Once people reach a certain age, all too often, they find themselves on their own. The children have moved on, the partner may be gone, and life can be very lonely. But it doesn’t have to be.
Pickleball is the perfect partner’s game. You play with someone against another pair. What a perfect way of meeting people, engaging in something new with people who like the same things.
Not only does the game allow you to interact with friends and strangers alike, but you can carry on after the game with a cold drink together, lunch, and this can lead to sharing more activities together.
Safety First
Always check with your medical professional before starting any type of exercise routine. If you have health concerns about yourself or a loved one, consider a Medical Alert System.
These systems provide access to help 24/7 at the press of a button. The Smartwatch is perfect to active seniors, with a heart rate monitor and step tracking built into the system in addition to all the benefits of a traditional medical alert system.