Pickleball may be the new fountain of youth. A sport that came about in the 1960s is exploding in popularity, especially in the over-50 set. All you need is a paddle and a great attitude to enjoy a game that encourages seniors to get moving.
Not only is pickleball fun, but the benefits also make it one of the best ways to improve your physical and mental well-being. Study after study concludes that regular exercise boosts the immune system and protects against heart disease and high blood pressure. Playing pickleball improves balance, control, mobility, and reflexes, all of which will reduce the risk of falling as you age, as we learned HERE. Researchers at Western Colorado University found significant improvements in cholesterol, oxygen uptake, and blood pressure when playing pickleball three times a week for six weeks.
And oh, how entertaining it is! We learned HERE how laughing improves our mental health. Spend one-hour watching seniors playing pickleball, and you will hear plenty of chuckles and see scores of smiles.
If you need more to convince you of the sport’s positive attributes, read HERE for a whopping 20 health benefits. At the end of the article, there’s a link to a website with a guide for where to start playing pickleball.
Swing away!