Health Benefits

Americans are obsessed with fitness. We count carbs and try fad diets named after places we’ll probably never see and people we’ll never know. We take vitamin supplements, even though we’re not exactly sure what they are supplementing. We buy treadmills and inevitably turn them into coat racks.

If you’re looking for something that combines fun with fitness, you need to look no farther than your local tennis court. May is National Tennis Month and the USTA invites you to use these 31 days as an opportunity to discover—or rediscover—all the wonders of this healthy, fun, and all-around amazing sport. Grab you’re a friend, and your racquet, and get to the courts. You’ll see that tennis is the fitness vehicle you’ve been looking for; use this month to take a test drive.

Check out what the experts have to say about the health benefits of tennis:

• The Sport with Heart

  • Tennis is an ideal sport for a healthy heart. Playing tennis on a regular basis is a good way to get your exercise by using all of your muscles. Playing tennis can even help one lower their blood pressure, as well as reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke. -The Cleveland Clinic, the nation’s top-ranked heart care facility
  • Physical activities like playing tennis two to three times per week for 30 minutes at a time, have proven to greatly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. -The American Heart Association

• A Full Body Workout that Really Burns Calories

  • Tennis ranks among the top five activities for the most calories burned per workout. A half an hour of singles tennis will burn 254 calories for a 140-lb person and 364 calories for a 200-lb person. -Consumer Reports, 2005

Grab a friend and celebrate Tennis Month on a court near you and enjoy all the health benefits of playing tennis. Your warmup jacket is hanging on the treadmill.