The
Copenhagen City Heart Study is a much quoted and read study. 8577 participants
were followed for all-cause mortality from 1991 to 2017. Their participation in
various sports and other leisure time activities and length of life was
monitored.
Various
sports were associated with improvements in life expectancy compared with a
sedentary group. The researchers found that tennis players added 9.7 years to
life expectancy. Badminton players added 6.2 years. Soccer players
added 4.7 years. Cyclists added 3.7 years. Swimmers added 3.4 years. Joggers added
3.2 years. Health club members added 1.5 years.
This study
showed that all physical exercise was
associated with increased life expectancy. Social physical activities such as
tennis, badminton or soccer were associated with greater increased life
expectancy more than individual/solitary activities such as jogging, swimming or
cycling.
Increased life expectancy was associated with
both physical activities and social activities. Being with
other people, playing and interacting with them, as you do when you play games
that require a partner or a team has psychological and physiological effects.
Connecting with other people is as important as raising your heart rate.
The Copenhagen Study supports
a study of 80,000 British adults, published last year in the British Medical
Journal, which found people who play racket sports tended to outlive joggers. Regardless
of people's age, wealth or level of education.
The Copenhagen Study found
that people who played tennis lived on average an extra 9.7 years. When receiving serve I think. Does tennis
make you live longer or do people who live longer play tennis?
There are
certain people who don’t play tennis with me. People who can’t delegate. The expert who knows everything. The person responsible for all the team all
the time. The person who is not a member of a team. Not a team player. Such a person can’t play with a partner who
makes a mistake, hits the ball into the net, hits the ball out or serves a
fault. Such a person can’t play against
people who irritate them. They can’t play against someone who doesn’t hit the
ball back correctly or serves without waiting or smashes the ball directly at
opponents.
Another
person I never play tennis with is someone with personality or emotional problems.
During tennis the ball will bounce or fly towards you. You then have to hit it.
With confidence. You have to be aware you are taking a risk. You are doing
something which may or may not succeed. When playing tennis you have to take it in
turns to act creatively. Depression or senility is a contra-indication.
The other
person missing from the tennis court is someone perpetually in a bad mood or emotionally
upset or easily irritated. Some of the young elite players fall into this category.
They will not play tennis when they retire from professional tennis.
I play tennis
against people who have good cardio vascular physical fitness. People with good
hand eye co-ordination and good
balance and
mobility. People who are emotionally and mentally healthy. They are nice
people. I love them so much I love to beat them. It’s not tennis that makes
them live longer. They are the type of person who lives a long and healthy life
therefore they play tennis.
The message
from Copenhagen is don’t play tennis. The main message is social activity is as
important as physical activity. If doing a solitary physical activity then try
and do it with other people or afterwards go social. You need a balanced life.
Tennis is
not the only way to lead a healthy balanced life. On Wednesday Tasmanian Masters Athletics runs
an athletic carnival on the domain for all and anybody. Everybody turns up to participate
in athletic events. Not everybody is of Olympic or national or state or club
standard. Everybody is interested in improving in getting faster or higher or
longer. Everybody putatively turns up for physical reasons and everybody,
without thinking about it, improves themselves socially.
While
waiting for my turn to run, I talk to other elders about runs coming up,
training, injuries, children or grandchildren. There is always someone to
advise me on improving my long jump or give me advice on technique or local
conditions.
Everybody who
competes is winning even those who come last.
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