What is Pickleball and Its Benefit For Your Health?
What is pickleball you might ask and why is it suddenly trending nowadays? Pickleball is currently the fastest-growing sport in America today and it can be said that it offers a lot of health benefits.
Before we go to the benefits, I am sure that you would want to know what is pickleball? As silly as the name sounds, it has nothing to do with pickles. Pickleball is a sport that is a combination of other sports such as Tennis, Badminton, and Ping-pong. Pickleball is a paddle/racket sport where the paddles are made of wood or composite and they look like a ping pong paddle that uses a lightweight perforated polymer ball.
Pickleball uses a doubles badminton-sized court with a slightly modified net (similar to tennis) and can be played indoors or outdoors. This sport can be enjoyed by all ages and can be played singles or doubles.
You may be asking yourself, why is pickleball trending? After the pickleball game was created, it became popular among the relatives and neighbors of the inventors. And it had spread to its current growth.
What benefits could pickleball give to our health?
1. Improves Mental Health
Playing pickleball can boost your mood and beat depression. Physical activity helps release feel-good endorphins and can take away your worries.
It can help you break away from your usual schedule and improve your social interaction which can be beneficial for your mental health.
Playing pickleball can also improve your self-confidence. The more you feel good, the more your mental health will improve.
2. Exercise and Burn Calories
Pickleball is a great alternative to more strenuous physical activities. Since a pickleball moves more slowly, and the court is smaller than a tennis court, the game is easier on the body and is ideal for older age groups that still want to get in a little moderate exercise.
Since the court is smaller, the players will have more opportunities to move around and burn calories while playing.
3. Improves Flexibility and Agility
Pickleball involves a lot of body movement during the game thus it improves flexibility and agility.
The players will have the opportunity to tone their muscles and exercise their joints. The joints need regular exercise to remain flexible.
Flexible and stronger muscles can improve your blood circulation which is good for your health.
4. Improves Balance
Playing pickleball allows for body carriage as needed, thus improving your balance. As more players perfect their pickleball game, they can build their stamina, footwork, and control as well.
The requirement activity of pickleball is an aerobic exercise that can improve our balance as we age. The better you get at responding to hits and shots, the better you are at carrying your body appropriately.
5. Reduce Health Risks and Improve Overall Health.
According to studies, pickleball is a great sport for players with previous injuries. You can burn 40% more calories playing pickleball compared to walking without causing further pain.
Additionally, you can play pickleball regardless of your age. The game demands moderate exercise which will improve body functions to keep it in good health.
Players will hugely benefit from this game in many ways. If you are looking for an exercise that is not too taxing on your body and is fun, then, pickleball is your game.
