The most underestimated longevity exercise! Many people exercise wrongly

The World Health Organization defines "health" as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and good adaptability, not just the absence of disease or infirmity.

On August 12, 2024, researchers from the European Institute of Biology of Ageing published a latest study in the journal GeroScience.

The study involved 95,210 people and collected data from athletes from 44 sports and 183 countries, showing that racket sports were associated with an increase in life expectancy of 5.7 years for men and 2.8 years for women. In other words, racket sports are one of the best sports for extending life and are beneficial to both men and women.

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In fact, as early as 2016, "Lancet Psychiatry" proposed that racket sports have significant benefits in improving "physical" and "mental" health by exploring the relationship between different types of exercise and cardiovascular disease.

So how do racket sports affect us? And how do we choose the right racket sport? Let’s talk about it today.

What are the benefits of swinging the racket more?

Speaking of racket sports, many people may wonder what racket sports are. In fact, badminton, table tennis, tennis, etc., these competitive sports that require one or both hands to hold the racket and swing the ball are all racket sports.

1

The impact of racket sports on the body

1. Racket sports improve hand-eye/body coordination

In racket sports, the eyes are usually required to quickly track the trajectory of the "small ball" and judge the rotation of the ball in order to return the ball. This requires full coordination between the eyes and the brain, and then with the upper and lower limbs.

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In addition, the "small ball" moves at a fast speed, which also requires a high level of brain-trunk reaction ability. Therefore, playing racket sports can improve visual acuity, hand-eye and trunk coordination, and responsiveness, which is especially important for children who need to develop this skill and for preventing the middle-aged and elderly people from losing their ability to live independently due to illness.

2. Racket sports improve the musculoskeletal system

Racket sports are sports that require the participation of both upper and lower limbs while ensuring core stability. The entire process involves the participation of most muscle groups. It requires not only the control ability of stable muscle groups, but also the explosive strength of large muscle groups and skillful use of muscles around small joints (such as "wrist shaking").

Therefore, playing racket sports can "evenly" improve the whole body's muscle strength, joint stability, and bone density. In addition, racket sports such as badminton require constant head-up stretching, which can relieve shoulder and neck muscle tension and fatigue to a certain extent, and prevent or improve cervical spondylosis for modern people who play with their phones or work at desks for a long time.

3. Racket sports improve cardiopulmonary function

Currently, the main focus of research on the effects of exercise on longevity is on preventing cardiovascular disease, and research on racket sports in reducing cardiovascular disease is considered to have significant effects.

Racket sports combine aerobic and anaerobic exercise and involve most muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs. They can improve the overall vascular condition of the body to the greatest extent, enhance heart reserve capacity and blood circulation.

A study compared the incidence of cardiovascular disease in people who played racket sports and those who did not, and suggested that racket sports can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease by about 47%.

2

The impact of racket sports on the heart

Firstly, in racket sports, the speed of the "small ball" is usually fast and the back-and-forth frequency is also very short, so participants need to maintain a high level of concentration. This type of interesting sport can help improve concentration and self-control to a certain extent.

At the same time, racket sports are "confrontational sports" without physical confrontation. The "violence" of hitting can help relieve anxiety to a certain extent and give participants a stronger sense of vitality. In addition, like all sports, continuous exercise and training can continuously secrete dopamine, which can improve self-confidence and emotional control ability to a certain extent, thereby preventing or improving psychological sub-health conditions.

3

The impact of racket sports on social functions

Sports are a form of social activity, and racket sports, like most sports, can increase the social participation of participants. Doubles and other sports can also increase the sense of teamwork to a certain extent. Studies have shown that team sports are also one of the best choices for prolonging life and reducing cardiovascular disease mortality.

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What should you pay attention to when playing racket sports?

1

Racket exercise volume selection

The right amount of exercise can help athletes improve their health benefits to the greatest extent while avoiding injuries or diseases caused by excessive exercise. The right amount of exercise includes exercise frequency, exercise time and exercise intensity.

① Exercise frequency: 3 times/week is the best frequency choice; for those with stronger athletic ability, it can be increased to 4-5 times;

②Exercise time: Each exercise should last more than 30 minutes and no more than 90 minutes;

③ Exercise intensity: You can control the intensity of exercise by observing your heart rate and breathing during exercise. It is recommended to exercise at a moderate intensity, that is, control your heart rate within the recommended heart rate range: (220-age-resting heart rate) × 0.4-0.6 + resting heart rate

Note: Resting heart rate refers to the heart rate in a calm state before exercise

2

Tips for preventing injuries in racket sports

1. External factors

① Choose the right equipment: including sportswear, sports shoes and rackets; for the choice of rackets and detailed adjustments (such as the choice of badminton racket poundage, the use of grips, etc.), you can consult a professional coach.

② Choose a suitable venue and weather for sports: You need to choose a safe and formal sports venue; for outdoor racket sports, you need to choose a temperature and weather that is suitable for sports.

2. Internal (self) factors

①Sufficient warm-up and muscle relaxation/stretching:

Adequate warm-up and dynamic stretching before exercise can prevent sports injuries to a certain extent. Among them, racket sports have certain requirements for the trunk and upper and lower limbs, so it is very necessary to fully warm up all joints;

Using a foam roller/fascia ball to relax the muscles after exercise, followed by some static stretching, can relieve the whole body soreness caused by racket sports to a certain extent, while avoiding chronic strain and pain caused by muscle tension and insufficient length.

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② Scientific training of correct special postures and movements: Correct preparation posture, movement and swinging movements can not only improve athletic performance and results, but are also an important way to avoid repeated pulling or injury to areas that should not be subjected to force.

③ Improve your own abilities: Racket sports have high requirements for the muscle strength and stability of the upper and lower limbs and the ability of the trunk to resist rotation. Improving overall muscle strength can protect the joints and thus prevent sports injuries.

Finally, what racket sport do you love? Share it in the comments!

Planning and production

Author: Li Wenrui, popular science author

Reviewer: Ji Gang, deputy chief physician of orthopedics, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University