There is plenty of advice about the importance of staying active as we age, but perhaps just as important is finding an activity that we enjoy enough to keep showing up.
Particularly one that gets us out of the house and connects us with other people.
That may be one of the reasons racquet sports appear to be particularly good for us.
A 25-year study involving more than 8500 people found that playing tennis was associated with 9.7 additional years of life expectancy compared with a sedentary lifestyle – the highest of any of the sports studied.
The Copenhagen City Heart Study, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2018, compared activities including tennis, badminton, soccer, cycling, swimming and jogging.
As an observational study, it couldn’t conclude that tennis itself caused people to live longer, but the results were nevertheless striking.
The researchers also suggested that the social interaction associated with sports such as tennis may contribute to their benefits.
That social connection is something that is seen every week at Bairnsdale Tennis Club.
Its players range from preschoolers picking up a racquet for the first time to people well into their 70s and 80s who still enjoy regular matchplay.
For many of the club’s senior players, their weekly tennis is about much more than exercise.
It is a chance to catch up with friends, meet people, have a laugh and enjoy some friendly competition.
Some play competition, others prefer social doubles, while some simply enjoy having a hit.
And there is now another racquet sport attracting plenty of interest – pickleball.
Played on a smaller court with a paddle and lightweight plastic ball, pickleball is relatively easy to learn, challenging to master and very social.
The smaller playing area also means less court to cover, making it an attractive option for people who may find a full tennis court more demanding.
Research into pickleball is relatively new, but the findings are encouraging.
Studies involving seniors have reported benefits including improved functional fitness and physical activity, reduced sedentary time and improvements in measures of physical and mental wellbeing.
Perhaps most importantly, both tennis and pickleball are activities that can be adapted as we move through different stages of life.
You don’t have to play singles.
You don’t have to play competition.
And you certainly don’t have to be particularly good at it.
Doubles tennis can provide exercise without requiring you to cover the entire court.
Pickleball provides another option again. Both offer the opportunity to keep moving while enjoying the company of others.
And there is no requirement to have been playing all your life.
Bairnsdale Tennis Club regularly sees people return to tennis after decades away from the game, as well as people who decide to pick up a racquet for the very first time.
Having a full-time professional tennis coach at the club makes that considerably easier.
Private and group lessons are available for everyone from absolute beginners through to advanced players.
For someone returning after 20, 30 or even 40 years, a lesson can be a simple way to regain confidence and rediscover a game they once enjoyed.
Tennis has been played at the former Bairnsdale Botanical Gardens precinct since around 1901.
More than a century later, one of the nicest things about the club is still seeing different generations sharing the same courts.
Perhaps that is the real value of a game for life.
Staying active as a senior doesn’t necessarily mean joining a gym or taking up a strenuous new exercise regime.
It can be as simple as finding something you enjoy, adapting it to suit you and finding some good people to enjoy it with.
And whether that’s tennis or pickleball, it is never too late to pick up a racquet.
