At the time this is being written (April), it is National Pickleball Month, but when the May issue is on the stands it will be National Tennis Month. Both of these popular pastimes are worth celebrating because they encourage active outdoor play! While pickleball has gained a reputation as “tennis for older people,” the fastest growing sport in the U.S. is really more than that. We’ll delve deeper into the differences between the games, but it’s important to focus on the fact that both have proven health benefits not just for seniors, but for individuals of all ages.
Tennis and pickleball both combat inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle, with participants able to play for many years. Racquet sports have long been found to have a positive effect on life expectancy. A highly publicized 25-year project published by the Copenhagen City Heart Study found that tennis adds an average 9.7 extra years to a person’s life, relative to an inactive person, while badminton adds an average of 6.2 years. This was surprising because the racquet sports surpassed other more cardio-centric activities such as jogging, swimming, and cycling. Since pickleball essentially combines elements of both tennis and badminton it’s likely the life expectancy increase is within that range. Both pickleball and tennis have also been shown to significantly decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, it only takes playing three hours of tennis per week to reduce that risk by a whopping 56%!
According to cardiologist and Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Calum MacRae, pickleball and tennis also improve cognition, not only in thinking and problem-solving skills, but memory and recall as well. The skills required also help eye-hand coordination, reaction time, and improve agility and balance. Beyond the physical, social aspects of the games help combat loneliness and manage or reduce stress. This is especially beneficial for seniors and is a reason that many people aged 70 and older are drawn to pickleball. The outdoor aspect of playing tennis and pickleball has the added advantage of providing frequent sunlight exposure. This is an excellent way to regulate the sleep cycle, improving your quality of sleep which, in turn, has a positive impact on mental health. Dr. MacRae says it’s exciting to see people embracing active, social sports that build community and can sustain them in regular exercise over time.
