![]() ![]() Other research suggests that taking up the sport of pickleball can help older adults make a smoother transition into retirement, which is a major life change.Īccording to previously mentioned research, people burn an average of 350 calories per hour of pickleball play. One study found that “serious leisure” activities, defined by qualities such as perseverance, effort, and social benefits (and of which pickleball is considered one), are associated with a lower likelihood of depression. And socializing helps counteract loneliness, something that puts people at a higher risk of dementia, heart disease, stroke, and depression, according to the CDC. One of the cornerstone benefits of pickleball is that it’s an opportunity for socialization. One study found that pickleball participants reported feeling like the sport offers an aging-friendly way to remain competitive, something that they felt had been missing since their younger years. And pickleball is a sport that’s suited for all ages, including older adults, since you can control the intensity of play, the smaller court means less distance needed to run, and most of the strokes are underhand or lateral, which means less strain on shoulders, says Dr. Staying active as you get older is linked with improved mobility, physical functioning, and mortality. ![]() Increased Activity Levels for Older Adults The previously mentioned Science and Sports study concluded that playing doubles pickleball elicits greater physical activity demands (in terms of average heart rate, peak heart rate, caloric expenditure, and perceived exertion) than walking. Some potential health advantages that research has linked to the sport include: Better Cardiorespiratory Fitnessīecause pickleball is an aerobic exercise, it improves the health of your heart and lungs.Ī small study from the American Council on Exercise found that VO2 max (a measure of cardiovascular fitness and endurance) improved by about 12 percent among a group of middle-aged and older adults (40 to 85 years old) after they began playing pickleball one hour per session, three times per week for six weeks, and they also experienced a decrease of 5 points in their systolic blood pressure and 3 points in their diastolic blood pressure. Compared with walking for 30 minutes, people say they that enjoy pickleball 150 percent more, according to a study published in September 2022 in Science and Sports. Pickleball, like other types of exercise, delivers some big health benefits.Įvidence (and the sport’s widespread popularity) suggests that pickleball is indeed a type of activity that keeps people coming back. Pickleball is considered aerobic exercise that incorporates movement by your entire body as you run around the court and rotate your trunk and upper body to hit the ball, says Nicholas Greiner, DO, a sports medicine doctor at Mercy Clinic in Ballwin, Missouri. The game is fun to play - and it’s a real workout, too. (The “pickle” in pickleball may have come from one of the families’ dogs, according to USA Pickleball.) Though the sport’s popularity may seem like it’s reaching a fever pitch now, it’s been around since 1965, when three dads invented the game to occupy their kids. “When beginners first play, they tell me that pickleball feels like playing Ping-Pong standing on the table,” says Ernie Medina Jr., DrPH, an American College of Sports Medicine–certified clinical exercise physiologist and a USA Pickleball Ambassador based in Loma Linda, California. USA Pickleball defines pickleball as a court sport that’s played with wooden paddles and a perforated plastic ball. Some describe pickleball as a cross between tennis, badminton, and table tennis. ![]()
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