By Suzanne Scott
We’re so over Euro 2012. We spent a few moments last night mourning the England team’s defeat but this morning we’ve moved on to Wimbledon (we’re a fickle bunch here on EBT).
Wimbledon, the world famous tennis tournament, kicks off today with Maria Sharapova and Anastasia Rodionova going head-to-head in the women’s singles.
And it’s not just Wimbledon’s Robinsons squash and strawberries & cream that has us reaching for the racquet, it’s the promise of a long and lithe tennis body. Here’s how regular tennis can transform your body:
CALORIE BURNING
According to Consumer Reports tennis is one of the top five calorie burning workouts – just behind Step Aerobics and Outdoor Biking and in front of Swimming and the Rowing Machine. In a game of singles tennis you can expert to burn around 254 calories per half an hour (based on a 140lb body weight).
ALL OVER WORKOUT
Unlike some sports, tennis doesn’t just target one or two areas of your body: it’s a cardio exercise (more on this further on), it has weight-bearing benefits (meaning not only will your muscles and bones get strong but your metabolism will see a boost too), plus it works both your upper and lower body.
A HEALTHY HEART
Tennis is a cardio sport meaning it gets your heart pumping oxygen to all the cells in your body. The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center (the no.1 heart care facility in the US) says that tennis lowers the risk of both heart disease and high blood pressure.
The Lawn Tennis Association can help you find a club or coaching sessions near you. If you decide to take up the sport let us know how you get on ellebeauty@elleuk.com
Read what happened with ELLE played tennis with Serena Williams
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