Top 10 Health Benefits of Playing Tennis for Women

Tennis is one of the best sports for women to play for both psychological and physical reasons. We thought a roundup of the top health benefits would give you yet another reason to start playing tennis.

1. Improve Your Social Skills

By its nature, tennis is a very social sport. So whether you’re meeting your girlfriends for a tennis date or your competitive doubles partner, you will be actively supporting your social life. Did you know having an active social life has been shown to increase longevity? And who doesn’t want to live longer while playing tennis with their friends?

2. Get Vitamin D

While it is important to slather on sunscreen before heading out to play tennis, it’s equally important that you’re getting Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D helps you regulate the absorption of calcium, and in turn, helps protect you from osteoporosis.
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3. Improve Your Mood

When you work out, you increase your serotonin levels. Serotonin is important because it is the “feel good” monoamine neurotransmitter in your brain. With all of the speed you need in tennis, you are constantly working hard and therefore, increasing that feel-good neurotransmitter.

4. Better Motor Control

Through ball-striking skills and drop shops, tennis works both your gross and fine motor control skills. Gross motor control skills include the use of your arms and legs, and fine motor skills include the use of small muscles found in your hands.

5. Lose Weight

Tennis is an excellent full-body workout. Of course losing weight comes down to the type of calories you eat and the amount of calories you consume in addition to working out. So as long as you cut back on sugar and other treats while playing tennis, you’ll notice a difference.

6. De-Stress

Using tennis as a way to de-stress is a great idea. Many people find the back and forth of tennis similar to mediation. This is especially true when you’re in the “flow” of the game.

7. Improve Your Balance

Any tennis player can tell you, the game has a lot of starts and stops. You’re running one way to the net in anticipation of a drop shot only to find yourself changing direction at the last second. All of these movements increase your balancing ability because they are training your muscles to react and adapt quickly to different movements.

8. Increase Flexibility

Flexibility works both ways in tennis. By playing tennis you can increase your flexibility, and by increasing your flexibility you will become a better tennis player. *Please note, we highly recommend stretching before you start playing tennis.

9. Decrease Your Risk for Heart Disease

Heart Disease is the number one killer of women. So anything we can do to prevent heart disease is important, and it turns out that tennis is a great way to do this. The British Journal of Sports Medicine looked at the health benefits of tennis and found that people who played tennis had “lower body fat percentages, more favorable lipid profiles, and enhanced aerobic fitness,” all leading to a decreased risk in heart disease.

10. Have Fun

This last health benefit is for everyone. Tennis allows you to relax, enjoy time with your friends, and even improve your mood, so fun is definitely a side effect from playing this great sport. Physically, having fun releases endorphins, which can temporarily relieve pain.