Is pickleball good exercise? A guide to its health benefits

As more people turn to pickleball for a fun, social activity, they're also doing something great for their health. It burns calories, increases muscle strength, and improves heart health. Pickleball has even been linked to improved brain function. Who knew hitting that yellow plastic ball could be so healthy?

Read on to learn more about the health benefits of pickleball. Just remember: always check with your healthcare provider regarding medical information. Sound good? Great! Then, let's get into it.

Any physical activity that gets you moving is beneficial to your health, and the best form of exercise is the one you enjoy doing. The more you enjoy a particular exercise, the more you'll stick to a routine.

When you play multiple games of pickleball, you're not just working to improve your shots and social connections—you're also working major muscle groups and getting a full-body workout.

Let's go over some of the health benefits of pickleball.

Like tennis and other racket sports, pickleball is considered a low-impact activity. This means it doesn't put significant stress on your muscles, bones, and joints. It can be a real workout, but it's not as stressful on your body as high-impact sports like soccer, basketball, or gymnastics.

This doesn't mean that low-impact sports are inferior, though. Pickleball (along with sports like Pilates, cycling, and swimming) can boost your heart rate without the stress and pain on your ankles and knees.

Pickleball is a great cardio workout because it causes your heart rate to increase, and blood to move more efficiently through your body. This can lead to several health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, and stroke.

A good cardio workout like pickleball can also strengthen your heart and lungs, resulting in a lower resting heart rate and more efficient heart function.

Doctors recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week (for adults). A "moderate-intensity" exercise is one that increases your heart rate, causes you to sweat, and makes it harder to breathe, while still allowing you to hold a conversation.

A recent Canadian research study concluded that pickleball may "contribute substantially to meeting recommended physical activity levels for older adults". The American Institute of Cancer Research claims that this minimum level of exercise can help lower your cancer risk.

Cardio can also help improve your cholesterol levels, increasing the good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering the bad cholesterol (LDL). This can help combat hypertension and high blood pressure. It may also reduce your risk of kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke.

You might not think of pickleball as a way to build muscle, but it turns out that it can help increase muscle strength. It's a result of all that great cardio work.

When you strengthen your heart, you process oxygen better, and blood flows more efficiently throughout your body. This allows your muscles to work harder and for longer. With stronger muscles, you can hit harder drives, run faster, and strengthen your bone health, which can keep osteoporosis at bay.

Playing pickleball utilizes many of your main muscle groups, including: legs (quads, hamstrings, and calves), arms (biceps, triceps, and forearms), core (abs, obliques, and lower back), shoulders, deltoids, rotator cuff, and back.

Playing pickleball requires quick reactions and the ability to shift directions quickly—forward and back, side to side, and bending and reaching for balls.

These movements help improve your mobility and flexibility. Serving, hitting drives, and nailing your split step all keep your joints moving smoothly, flexibly, and responsively.

Lateral movements strengthen your thigh and core muscles and can also improve coordination and balance. When you're balanced, you have a steady, stable base to work from for improved agility and reaction times.

By improving your balance, you can improve your posture and alleviate back pain. More importantly, it helps to avoid falls and injuries—especially important for older players.

Pickleball can help you get in shape, not just by building muscles and improving stamina, but also by burning a lot of calories. How much you burn will depend on your weight and how long and hard you play.

For example, a 160 lb player might burn 500 calories per hour, while a 200 lb person burns 700 calories. Play more intensely, and the 160 lb person may burn up to 700 calories, while the 200 lb player may burn up to 900 calories.

Pickleball is a very fast-paced sport, so your body and mind have to work together at lightning speed to make decisions. From adjusting your court position and aiming a shot to choosing how hard to hit a drive, there's a lot of mental work involved.

Pickleball is good for your brain because it sharpens cognitive abilities like problem-solving, pattern recognition, and making effective decisions under pressure.

If you're like me, you were introduced to pickleball by a friend who just didn't stop talking about how fun it was. That's part of why the sport has become so popular.

When we have a great time playing pickleball with others, our brain releases endorphins, which then improve our mood and reduce stress. For older players, pickleball is a great way to meet new people and develop connections, which are keys to combating depression, loneliness, and anxiety.

As well as being a lot of fun, pickleball has proven itself to be a great way to enhance your overall health—from improved cardiac health and stronger muscles, to better balance and flexibility.

If you need one more reason to try pickleball, one study found that people who regularly play racket sports like pickleball have a 47% lower chance of all-cause mortality than people who are not physically active.

So, pickleball isn't just a fun time—it may add years to your life and help you live it to the fullest. How has pickleball helped your fitness journey? Let us know!