Pickleball Can Improve Your Mood

Plus, It’s Easy on Your Joints & Muscles! 

Pickleball has become one of the fastest-growing and most popular sports on the planet. From 2013 to 2020, membership in the USA Pickleball Association grew by a whopping 1,000 percent with players totaling 3.3 million in the U.S. alone.

Although the popularity of pickleball has exploded in recent years, it was actually invented in 1965. It can be described as a mixture of tennis, badminton and table tennis. To play, all you need is a paddle, a ball and a pair of sneakers.

Why the surge? Well, for starters, pickleball is fun for people of all ages and skill levels. Plus, it offers these wonderful health benefits:

1. It makes your heart and lungs happy. You can burn up to 600 calories an hour during a game of pickleball, which means it provides you with a great cardio workout and improves your lung function. Pickleball can also help you lose or maintain a healthy weight, control your blood pressure and keep your blood sugar at a healthy level.  

2. It improves your brain power. Because you need to make quick decisions during this fast-paced game, pickleball can help improve your cognitive function and memory recall. The speed of the game can also help you improve your hand-eye coordination.

3. It is joint- and muscle-friendly. Pickleball is a low-impact sport, which means it places less stress on your muscles and joints compared to more strenuous sports, such as tennis and running. The court is much smaller than a tennis court (44 feet by 20 feet) so you don’t have to move as much to keep the ball in play. This means there is less strain on your hips, knees and ankles. You also serve the ball underhand, which also places less stress on muscles and joints.

4. It can help you relieve stress. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which help relieve your stress and anxiety.

5. It allows you to socialize. Pickleball involves two or four players and presents a great opportunity to socialize, especially if you join a league.

In our area, there are plenty of places to play pickleball, including the Overpeck Tennis & Pickleball Courts in Ridgefield Park, McKinley Park in Westwood, Dudiak Park in Clifton and Wilde Memorial Park in Glen Rock. We love traveling around the area and seeing people exercising and having fun. Of course, there are plenty of other great low-impact sports you can engage in this summer to stay fit, including walking and bicycling.

Schedule Your Appointment Today!

No matter what activity you choose, make sure to warm up before you start. It’s the best way to avoid injuries. However, if you do suffer an injury, you can count on the experienced team at Kayal Orthopaedic Center to provide you with exceptional treatment and care. To schedule your appointment, call us at 844.777.0910 or contact us through our website.