Retirement Hobby: Tennis

by Danny

Tennis is one of the best and most fulfilling hobbies a retiree can take up. While that is the case for a variety of different reasons, the biggest reason is simply that it helps keep you in shape.

As we get older, our metabolism slows down and it becomes harder to work out as strenuously as we did in our younger years. Especially for us retirees, who have a lot more time to sit around the house and eat poorly.

It becomes much more difficult to stay in the shape we would all like to be in. As such, it's tough to find a better cardiovascular exercise. It's a fairly simple game to play at an intermediate level and once you begin, you are constantly on the move.

Whether it's your shoulders and forearms to swing the racquet, your ankles, knees and calves while moving around or your back and torso as you extend to make successful volleys, you are constantly working out those muscles in your body that might not ordinarily get much attention.

After I retired at the age of 63, I began playing Tennis and lost 10 pounds within my first month and a half of playing, simply from the constant non-stop activity you get while on the court. And while it took a nice chunk off my stomach, it didn't do much damage to my wallet.

A low-end racquet can cost anywhere from $40 to $50 and there are many parks that have free, open tennis courts for anyone in the community to use.

What's best of all about Tennis is that it's a relatively easy way to make new friends. Join any local tennis club, set up a weekly schedule and get ready to see many of the same friendly, familiar faces on each visit.

Ask your new friends to form doubles tandems with you to take on other pairs in fun and ultra-competitive doubles matches.

No matter what your motivation is for picking up the racquet, Tennis is a great way to stay exercise your body and your mind and meet some new people in the process.