The need to keep yourself hale and hearty so that you can stay in the pink of health for a lifetime is of the essence, especially when almost all of us are leading stressful lives. With obesity stalking the entire world population and poised to adversely affect youngsters and the adult US populace, it is high time that individuals made sincere efforts to tackle corpulence or portliness. Though keeping yourself in perfect health should be your number one priority, there’s absolutely no reason for you to become obsessed with staying healthy. Rather, you should approach this top priority quite sportingly, literally speak.
Playing Table Tennis Can Keep You Healthy for a Lifetime
Table tennis is one sporting discipline that can go a long way in keeping you fit and trim lifelong regardless of whether you play the singles or doubles format of the game. International, national, regional and local competitions organized in numerous countries corroborates the immense worldwide popularity of the sport. Though professional players are used to playing ping pong incredibly fast, you can practice the game at your own pace. Ping-ponging even for half an hour every day will offer you numerous health benefits both mental and physical.
Health Benefits of Playing Ping Pong
Enough statistics can be reeled in favor of table tennis that substantiates the game’s enduring global popularity. It might sound like a Ripley’s ‘Believe it or Not’ that all the professional bodies and associations of the sport put together have a membership of more than 300 million individuals participating in different competitive formats of the game. More than 20 million people indulge themselves in a recreational round of ping pong in the US on a regular basis. You’ll reap the following health benefits if you indulge yourself in the game for nothing less than 30 minutes routinely:-
- Reinforces your reflexes-You’ll need to be quick on your foot without losing your balance to send the ping pong or table tennis ball to the other end without the same touching the net. Fast-paced movements exercise the muscles of your body and keep them flexible.
- Betterment of Hand–to-eye coordination-The game requires you to focus on a lot of aspects including but not limited to judging the placement, spin, and speed of the ball. You also need to preempt the moves of your opponent. Regularly focusing on these facets perfects your hand-to-eye coordination, improves your mental acuity and memory.
- Keeps joints in your body flexible and nimble-This sporting format can keep you in good humor and the joints in your body in perfect shape as the movements flexes and contracts the spine, knees, ankles, and wrists without stressing these joints out. If you recently underwent a knee surgery or suffer from a backache, then table tennis will surely help you to get back to working ways.
- Helps burn the extra calories-If you’re obese or overweight, you can look forward to burning at least 275 calories by engaging yourself in the game for 60 minutes.
- Improves and/or stabilizes your poise-There can’t be any doubt that this racquet sport perks up your balance or poise as you’re needed to move as well as stay on your feet quickly and constantly.
- Keeps brain active and on the go-Each and every area of your brain is stimulated and activated as you attempt to anticipate the moves or shots of your adversary. For instance, the prefrontal cortex is kindled when you focus on your opponent and his moves. The physical movements trigger the hippocampus and the brainstem areas of the brain that are instrumental in enabling us to recall events and stored info.
Picture Credit: Huskyherz