Its historic moniker has been the “sport for a lifetime”. But is this really true? According to world-renowned scientists from a variety of disciplines, there is no doubt that tennis is one of the best sports for you to play.
Tennis & all-cause mortality
People who participate in tennis 3+ hours per week cut their risk of early mortality by 50%.
According to research by Dr. Ralph Paffenbarger from Harvard University School of Public Health.
Here are the facts:
- People who participate in tennis 3 hours per week (at moderately vigorous intensity) cut their risk of death in half from any cause, according to physician Ralph Paffenbarger who studied over 10,000 people over a period of 20 years.
- Tennis players scored higher in vigor, optimism and self-esteem while scoring lower in depression, anger, confusion, anxiety and tension than other athletes and non-athletes according to Dr. Joan Finn and colleagues at Southern Connecticut State University.
- Since tennis requires alertness and tactical thinking, it may generate new connections between nerves in the brain and thus promote a lifetime of continuing development of the brain, reported scientists at the University of Illinois.
- Tennis outperforms golf, inline skating and most other sports in developing positive personality characteristics according to Dr. Jim Gavin, author of The Exercise Habit.
- Competitive tennis burns more calories than aerobics, inline skating, or cycling, according to studies on caloric expenditures. With these results in mind, let’s take a look at 34 specific reasons why you should consider playing tennis regularly!