All tennis players feel the same way. Tennis is a great sport. It is great for your physical health and mental wellbeing too.
The GSM coaches have occasionally quipped that the life of a coach is a hard one and likely to lead to an early grave. No one believes them, on either count, and now we all have the ‘proof’.
The following is an extract from The Times online…
For a longer life, it’s game, set and match to tennis players
Elite sportsmen outlast their contemporaries with Wimbledon stars at No 1, a study shows
The secret to a longer life, doctors long ago concluded, is a healthy diet, regular exercise, avoiding tobacco and drinking less alcohol. Now new research suggests the surest way of increasing your lifespan may involve hitting a tennis ball.
Les Mayhew, head of global research at the International Longevity Centre UK said his report, The Longevity of Sporting Legends, showed that top players in tennis, rugby, cricket and golf could all expect significantly increased lifespans, with racing jockeys and footballers providing smaller gains. The main exception was boxing, a sport notoriously susceptible to head injuries.
His findings appear to confirm a recent Danish study that compared the lifespans of people who exercised with those who remained mostly sedentary. The study found that tennis players could expect to live an extra ten years, with badminton players likely to last six years longer. Footballers gained nearly five years and cyclists nearly four, with swimmers, joggers and regular performers of calisthenics close behind. Those who restricted themselves to “health club activities” gained less than two years.
“Now we know that certain sports increase your chances of a longer life, it may encourage those of all ages to continue to be physically active throughout their lives,” said Mayhew.
Read the full article, written by @NicholasHellen
