Physical activity is important no matter how old you are. Whether you are ten years old or seventy years old, you can reap the benefits of exercising. One way I choose to exercise is by playing tennis. Almost 60 million men and women play this sport. It is one of the most popular sports in the world. I started playing tennis when I was eleven years old and now I am a collegiate athlete and a part time coach.
As a part time coach, I see people of various ages playing the sport of tennis. One of the things that surprised me the most was watching how dedicated some of the senior citizens were. Everyday at 9 am sharp, a group of ladies would come out and play tennis competitively. They would play a full match, and scrimmage against each other. They only called this a “team practice”. Over the weekends, in season, these same ladies play matches against people from other clubs. They do these matches for months during their season and then go play people from other states. Their determination and competitive spirit is truly astonishing. They compete as well as an athlete in college would. They are also incredibly fit and mobile.
I play in a class every Thursday night, with people of various ages and skill levels. The age range in that class went from 20 to 55. However, one day I met Mike, a 75 year old who joined the class. He was just as competitive and energetic as everyone else in the class. He could match and compete head to head with the youngest person in that class. When I asked him about his mindset, he said all he wanted to do was to be fit and do some form of physical activity. It’s such a simple goal, however, he is still having fun while being competitive. It is the will to get out of the house and do something that makes them so great. They are committed to it and they love it and that’s what makes it fun for everyone.
In short, no matter how old you are, physical activity is important and essential to life because it has numerous benefits. Tennis is one of the ways I see people of all ages come together and compete hard. However, you can get creative and do workouts online with friends, or follow fitness influencers. In this day and age there are so many different ways to get up and get active!
