Fit with Tennis

 - it can soon convince tennis fans of all ages. Under the motto “Germany is playing tennis!” Takes place on 26 and 27 April for the second time a common season opening tennis clubs in Germany instead.

Not just for young people is: always on the ball with tennis (Photo: German Tennis Federation)

In 2007, more than 1,600 clubs participating in the campaign, over 95 000 visitors were counted. Also in this year as part of “Germany plays tennis! Tennis clubs throughout Germany and present give visitors the opportunity to experience the different facets of tennis.

The fact that tennis is fun, everyone knows who has ever resorted to the ball and bat. In addition to tennis but also body and mind, strengthens international studies show the last 20 years.

Ten reasons why tennis is good for body and mind

First Researchers at Southern Connecticut State University have studied the personality traits and moods of 200 tennis seniors and compared to a control group who did not play tennis. The investigation has shown that distinguished the tennis-playing seniors by more vitality, optimism and self-esteem, while negative emotions such as anger, anxiety and nervousness and depressive mood were less pronounced.

Second Because the tennis game is a certain amount of attention and tactical understanding required to go the University of Illinois scientists believe are that by playing tennis in the brain produces new connections between nerve. According to the researchers, this is a life long promoted the continuous development of the brain.

Third A study by the U.S. journal “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” has shown that an average person consumes 70 pounds of body weight with an hour of tennis 493 calories – more than, say, with stationary cycling (387) Weight Training (422) in the gym as well as hiking (422), playing volleyball (281) and golf (281).

4th Dr. Ralph Offenburg and his team have more than 10 000 Harvard graduates over a period of 20 years, investigated and found that in middle-aged men who play tennis three times a week, the overall mortality risk was 50 percent lower. The longitudinal study also found that falling ill in tennis players, who were at least three hours a week on, the risk of coronary heart disease was reduced by 41 percent.

5th That can have positive effects on the tennis player’s character, it is the psychologist Dr. Jim Gavin, a professor at Concordia University in Montreal, is convinced. Accordingly, promotes positive character traits such as sociability tennis, concentration, competitiveness, spontaneity, adventure, creativity and perseverance play more than other sports such as Running, bodybuilding, golf, in line skating and skiing.

6th The British journal “British Journal of Sports Medicine,” published in 2006 a study that points to the relaxing effect of tennis. Thus, only an hour on the tennis court provides for a significant stress reduction as well as the loosening of locking or tension. We investigated a group of tennis-playing seniors.

7th In adolescents, regular tennis training leads to improved endurance performance and responsiveness. Youth tennis players are generally more active than their peers and generally have a body fat percentage, of their age and sex is recommended accordingly as well. This has several studies in Japan, the USA and Germany resulted from the years 1984 to 1992.

8th Just like regular tennis training in adolescents and young adults leads to improved endurance performance. Study in Germany and the USA have shown that tennis players have aged 18 to 34 years with a 30 percent larger and a smaller heart volume up to 19 percent body fat than their untrained peers have.

9th In regular play tennis for seniors provides an enormous improvement in physical fitness, which is sometimes comparable even with the younger players. A study has shown that tennis players have middle-aged (31 to 55 years) on an above-average endurance, lower resting heart rate and blood pressure as active, but not tennis-playing peers. In addition, they are characterized by a significantly lower percentage of body fat and a greatly improved responsiveness from.

10th Especially for seniors means the positive effect of tennis for more than an improved physical fitness. More power in the legs and an improved sense of balance helps prevent older people falling. And should it again come the fall, the risk of fracture is comparatively low, as regular tennis play a positive influence on bone density.