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Tennis, anyone?
This classic sport offers a fun and vigorous cardio workout, the opportunity to socialize with friends old and new -- and cute clothes, too!
By Kat Tancock
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Spring's here, and it's okay to skip the gym in favour of playing outside. Instead of hitting the treadmill to keep yourself in shape (and balance out that regular dose of rocky road ice cream), consider picking up a summer sport. Sure, you could run, bike or rollerblade, but for the ultimate warm-weather workout, why not try tennis? It offers great cardio, the chance to socialize with friends (and make new ones), plus cute clothes -- and, if you're lucky, cute tennis pros too.
"Tennis is available to absolutely anyone," says tennis coach Rob Antoun, author of Women's Tennis Tactics (Human Kinetics, 2007). Even if you've never played before -- or haven't touched a racquet since the class you took the summer after Grade 6 -- with a bit of coaching and practice, you'll be rallying in no time.
How to get started
"Tennis clubs are usually very keen to welcome new members," says Antoun. He suggests contacting your local club and inquiring about classes for beginners, which are also often available at community centres and university or college fitness facilities. Tennis Canada offers a registry of provincial tennis associations, which maintain registries of member clubs. Membership fees vary widely, so make sure to find a club that fits your budget and needs.
You can also just start hitting a ball around a local court with friends, but Antoun recommends taking at least a few classes if you want to develop a solid tennis game. "Tennis requires quite complex coordination and motor skill learning," he says. "Getting the basics right at the beginning would allow a player to make much bigger strides over a shorter period of time." Classes also offer the opportunity to meet other players at your level, who will make ideal partners for friendly -- or competitive -- games outside of class.
How tennis gets you in shape
"The beauty of tennis is that it works so many different areas of fitness," says Antoun, adding that it helps with endurance, strength, speed, core stability, coordination and flexibility. A singles game can be an extremely vigorous cardio workout, especially if you're focused more on rallying back and forth than on winning points. Doubles games are less intense, but a lot more social. And the best part? Unlike slogging away on the treadmill or elliptical, playing tennis is so much fun -- and requires so much focus -- that you'll barely notice a 60-minute workout passing by. "You get lots of fresh air and get fit without really knowing it," Antoun says.
Image courtesy of Bob Gevinski/WireImage.com
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