10 reasons why you should start playing badminton

Badminton is not only a professional sport, but also a game that many people have loved since childhood. It doesn’t require expensive equipment, special premises or even strict rules – you can simply throw a shuttlecock at home or on the street. At the same time, such physical activity will be equivalent to a full-fledged workout. We tell you how playing badminton affects our body.

Increase muscle tone

One of the important benefits of badminton is that it tones the muscles.
Stretching, running, active arm movements and assuming static postures while playing strengthen the glutes, calves and hamstrings. This type of activity helps to strengthen muscles, but not to increase their size.

Develop flexibility

During the game, you have to reach for the shuttlecock, which flies in all sorts of trajectories, but not always directly to you. Arm swings, body tilts, lunges and many other movements help stretch your muscles.

Players in professional sports do not do without the obligatory warm-up. You too can perform a small set of exercises to improve the quality of your game and warm up your muscles to avoid possible injuries.

Muscular endurance and strength will emerge

After 20 minutes after you start, you may feel very tired: unlike tennis balls, shuttlecocks do not bounce, so you have to bounce at intervals. These intermittent intense movements turn badminton into a HIIT workout.

Your reaction time will improve

Winning or losing in badminton depends on how well and quickly you are able to perceive your opponent’s actions. The main thing is to accurately determine where the shuttlecock is flying and reflect it in time. For this purpose, during the game you not only establish coordination of movements, but also develop attention and reaction speed.

Reduce weight

Like any physical activity, badminton helps you stay in shape.
The British Cardiovascular Disease Foundation rates this sport as a good medium-intensity exercise that will keep you active for at least 150 minutes a week. This is the WHO’s target.

And if you move actively during the game, you can burn 300-450 calories in an hour.
This number varies depending on your weight. Here you can personally calculate how many calories you will burn.

Heart health will be improved

Badminton is beneficial because it raises the level of “good” cholesterol (HDL) and lowers the level of “bad” cholesterol. The latter reduces the size of blood vessels, which can cause heart disease. This is why lowering it helps to maintain a healthy heart.

The British Cardiovascular Disease Foundation points out that “playing badminton regularly can help strengthen the heart muscle and reduce the risk of blood vessel blockages, preventing the development of CHD [coronary heart disease].”

Reduce the risk of developing diabetes

Active people are 30-50% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, according to a 2005 Swedish study.

The experiment evaluated the effects of a structured diet and exercise on Swedish men between the ages of 46 and 49 who had a history of diabetes. For five years, the men were required to do 45- to 60-minute workouts (including badminton as well as jogging and soccer) twice a week. As a result, the majority (54%) kept their blood glucose levels normal.

Stronger bones

The earlier you start playing badminton, the better. A three-year study conducted by the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University in Sweden found that the sport increases bone mass in adolescent athletes. Therefore, badminton potentially reduces subsequent bone loss and prevents the development of various diseases. In any case, moderate play will help develop joint mobility and strengthen joints.

Life expectancy will increase

Several organizations confirm that playing badminton in moderation can increase life expectancy. And a recent international study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that those who play racquet sports tend to live longer than runners.

Psychological health will be restored

As an active sport, badminton has a beneficial effect on our psychological health. According to a 2011 UK government report, daily exercise can reduce the risk of depression or dementia by 20-30%. In this case, badminton can also be played alone, taking it as a workout for the brain. Besides, this way you can discharge your emotions and give an outlet to the accumulated energy.

But in the classical sense, it is a pair game, in the course of which there is a healthy competition. This kind of social engagement leads to lower stress levels and loneliness.