Is Pickleball Good Exercise?
Pickleball is a fun and enjoyable sport. It is similar to tennis while being less intense and strenuous. This makes playing pickleball a great choice for your next workout. Pickleball is great for your physical and mental health.
You can get a good workout from pickleball. Not only does playing pickleball increase muscle strength, but it also improves weight management.
Pickleball is a fantastic sport for people of all ages. It can improve many aspects of mental and physical health. If you are curious as to why pickleball makes a great workout and how it can improve your overall health, read on below!
Can You get a Good Workout from Pickleball?
Pickleball is an energetic and versatile sport. It can be played indoors or outside. Since pickleball includes the elements of:
- Ping pong
- Badminton
- Tennis
It is great for a workout.
This game is easy for beginners who can quickly progress in their skills. The activity continues as you become better and faster. You will develop strong eye-hand coordination and quick thinking
The more you play, the more developed your coordination will become. Over time you will gain:
- Greater strength,
- Balance, and
- Flexibility
This is the result of your body getting faster and stronger through playing the sport.
Pickleball will Give You Cardiovascular Benefits
Pickleball can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues such as heart attack and stroke when played regularly. This is because pickleball greatly improves cardiovascular health, strength, and endurance.
For this reason, pickleball is a great sport for seniors since they are often at increased risk for cardiovascular issues.
Western State Colorado University did a study of pickleball’s effects on cardiovascular health. The study consisted of 15 middle-aged and older adults who played an hour of pickleball three times for six weeks. The results of the study showed they had improved blood pressure and cardiorespiratory fitness.
Recent studies have shown that participating in sports such as pickleball may decrease the risk of developing blood clots. One study showed a reduction in blood clots of 39% for women and 22% for men compared to participating in no sport at all.
By lowering the risk of stroke and heart attack through playing pickleball, individuals can minimize the risk of needing heart surgery or other expensive and invasive cardiovascular procedures. Saving money in the long run and reducing the risk of complications for such medical procedures will improve overall happiness and health.
Pickleball Improves Flexibility
Pickleball involves using muscles in the entire body during play. This means the whole body is getting blood flow and movement, which increases flexibility and reduces stiff joints.
This can prevent joint problems later in life, which is what contributes to arthritis. Joints must remain flexible and strong through regular exercise and playing pickleball is a great way to ensure this.
Calories Burned in a Typical Pickleball Session Will help you Manage Your Weight
Because pickleball is filled with physical activity, you can count on becoming more physically fit if you play regularly. Part of managing your weight is being able to burn off excess calories.
Typical calories burned in a session of pickleball will depend on a few factors such as
• Age
• Weight
• Fitness level
• Heart health
• Time played
• Type of pickleball
Most of the calorie-burning stats will be based on what type of pickleball game you are playing. If you are only playing a casual game with a friend that keeps your heart rate lower and fewer steps, you might not burn as much as someone playing a very intense and competitive match that induces sweat and a hard-pumping heart.
How many calories do you burn playing pickleball for 1 hour?
As an average estimate, a standard best of 3 pickleball sets, which takes about an hour, will burn roughly 500-700 calories. Someone playing a lower intensity game will burn fewer calories than someone playing a more intense game.
Additionally, someone playing at a lower intensity with a lower fitness level will burn more calories than someone with a higher fitness level. It will take more stamina for their heart rate to increase.
At the lowest end of calorie-burning, you might expect to burn at least 8.3 calories per minute, and at the highest end, over 11 calories per minute which is more than you would burn while running!
Helps Improve Overall Health
Any type of exercise can dramatically improve a person’s health. Pickleball is a great way to exercise, no matter the person’s age. Pickleball has many health benefits which include:
• Improved hand-eye coordination
• Improves quick thinking
• Increased strength and balance
• Reduced risk of blood clots
• Improved cardiovascular health
• Improved mood and reduced stress
• Social connection
Pickleball Improves Mental Health
Playing pickleball can help improve mood and aid in reducing depression. When you are active and get your heart pumping during play, endorphins are released in the brain that helps boost mood and lessen depression and anxiety. This can also help increase your energy levels throughout the day and help improve sleep at night.
The great thing about pickleball is that it feels more like a fun game with friends than a workout that you would do in the gym. This makes it more likely that you will engage in this sport to improve mental health. When feeling stressed and anxious, you could use playing pickleball as a form of stress reduction compared to harmful ways of reducing stress like alcohol and smoking.
Playing pickleball with others as a social activity also helps improve mood and mental health. Engaging in smiles and laughter with teammates is a great way to relieve stress and brighten your day. Social connection is becoming more increasingly studied as being a very critical component to overall happiness and longevity.
Lastly, playing pickleball helps improve your overall physique and tone your body. This can give you a great boost of confidence in your appearance, which is also great for your mental health. As the saying goes, if you look good, you often feel good too!
Improving your connection with others, reducing your stress, and improving your mood are all benefits of playing pickleball. These benefits are incredibly important for improved quality of life and improved mental health. This will improve your physical health and reduce the risk of health issues in the future.
Take Care When Playing Pickleball
Due to pickleball’s fast pace with lots of running, stopping, and turning, it can increase the risk of leg injuries and falls. Always make sure to ask your doctor before engaging in any new activity, especially with a history of heart, endurance, or balance issues.
You can help reduce the risk of injuries by ensuring you are wearing the right clothing. This includes proper fitting shoes and clothes that are not too loose. Goggles can also help prevent eye injuries from fast-flying balls. Before playing, ensure to:
- Warm up your muscles with a brisk 5-minute walk.
- After the game, make sure to stretch your muscles.
- Pay special attention to your hamstrings, calves, shoulders, and wrists while stretching for at least 30 seconds.
In Conclusion Pickleball is Great Exercise
Pickleball is a great form of exercise for men, women, and children of any age. Not only is it a lot of fun and socially interactive, but it is also great for both your physical and mental health. Pickleball can reduce your stress, improve your mood, and ease symptoms of depression.
Playing pickleball can also help reduce your risk of many health issues and diseases such as cardiovascular issues, arthritis, and blood clots. Engaging in a game of pickleball with friends or family for an hour a few times a week will surely improve your quality of life.
