{"id":79093,"date":"2020-05-19T09:02:35","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T09:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/?p=79093"},"modified":"2020-10-07T10:37:38","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T10:37:38","slug":"how-playing-ping-pong-helps-with-brain-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/how-playing-ping-pong-helps-with-brain-health\/","title":{"rendered":"How playing ping pong helps with brain health"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"4af0d39e3ff1bdbae5976e2330eb4205\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9477973674766713\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8885944693\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ping pong is a great way to spend some time with your friends and family. Anyone can get involved and is sure to get a smile on everyone\u2019s face. It\u2019s also a great activity for getting some exercise and improving mental health.<\/p>\n<p>As with other sports, table tennis requires both mental and physical skills. It stimulates the entire body and helps to keep you fit, while keeping the risk of injury to a minimum.<\/p>\n<p>Here is how <em><strong>playing ping pong<\/strong><\/em> helps with brain health and keeps your body healthy.<!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>1. Improves Hand-Eye Coordination<\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79097 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Improves-Hand-Eye-Coordination.jpg\" alt=\"Improves Hand-Eye Coordination\" width=\"800\" height=\"535\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Improves-Hand-Eye-Coordination.jpg 800w, https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Improves-Hand-Eye-Coordination-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Improves-Hand-Eye-Coordination-768x514.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Playing ping pong requires you to pay attention at all time. If you don\u2019t, the ball will fly past and you\u2019ll quickly lose the game. The game ensures you stay alert and can react appropriately when it\u2019s your shot.<\/p>\n<p>Also, you have control over where you hit the ball. Depending on where you place your bat, you can direct it left, right, down the center, long or short. Of course, you need to actually hit the ball.<\/p>\n<p>All of these factors help to improve your hand-eye coordination. The more you practice, the more control over the play and these skills can translate to everyday life.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Better Reflexes<\/h2>\n<p>Ping pong plays at a fast pace. The table is quite short too so you\u2019re constantly reacting to how your opponent takes their shot. You need to be on your toes and ready to make the right shot.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, if your opponent makes a mistake by hitting it long, you\u2019ll be able to judge it better as time goes on, improving your ability to know when to react and when to leave it be.<\/p>\n<p>It will also help <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2017\/07\/12\/10-unexpectedly-great-benefits-of-playing-table-tennis-6771086\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">strengthen fine muscle movements<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em>. Those quick bursts may make you feel a bit sore at first but the more you play, the stronger you\u2019ll become.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Easy on The Joints<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79099\" src=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/joint-issues.jpg\" alt=\"joint-issues\" width=\"800\" height=\"1199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/joint-issues.jpg 534w, https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/joint-issues-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Some people aren\u2019t able to move as freely as others. For example, they could be coming off an injury or surgery, have a history with a bad back, bad knees, or even people that don\u2019t want to twist their ankle every time they step on the field.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, all you need to do is control your end of the table. The rallies, like the tables, tend to be short so the amount of movement required is limited.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t burn any calories though, which leads to the next point&#8230;<\/p>\n<h2>4. Burns Calories<\/h2>\n<p>Don\u2019t like going to the gym, running on the treadmill for hours or around the block? Try ping pong instead. You\u2019ll soon find that you\u2019ll work up a sweat, especially if you play in the warm weather.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you play indoors, make sure you have a drink of water nearby. You\u2019ll be thankful for it after you\u2019ve played a few games.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, you\u2019ll be burning calories. Getting some movement in your daily routine is really important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p>Check out <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pingpongetc.com\/tables\/best-ping-pong-tables\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this list of ping pong tables now<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em>. Pick one up, put your trainers on, grab a paddle and start playing.<\/p><div class=\"4af0d39e3ff1bdbae5976e2330eb4205\" data-index=\"2\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9477973674766713\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8885944693\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>5. Get Social<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-79098 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Get-Social.jpg\" alt=\"Get Social\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Get-Social.jpg 800w, https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Get-Social-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2020\/05\/Get-Social-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Interacting with others is really important for mental health and overall <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/wellness\/consultant\/\">wellness<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em>. People in the modern world spend a lot of their time looking at some form of electronic device, scrolling through social media, playing video games, and so on. However, the result ends up with feeling more disconnected.<\/p>\n<p>Table tennis allows you to put down the device and actually be with another person. There\u2019s nothing like having actual contact with friends and family. It leads to laughter, joy and overall feeling happy.<\/p>\n<p>With depression on the rise among young people, in particular, a game of ping pong is a great way to bring everyone together, let your hair down and just enjoy yourself.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Keeps the Brain Sharp<\/h2>\n<p>Don\u2019t just take our word for it.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Daniel Amen, an expert in psychiatry and brain-imaging, has previously described ping pong as \u201cthe world&#8217;s best brain sport\u201d. This is because it requires you to use your lower body to move around the table, your upper body to adjust and hit the ball, and improves hand-eye coordination and reflexes as described above.<\/p>\n<p>Playing table tennis also uses several areas of the brain at the same time. After all, you must track the ball with your eyes, figure out what you\u2019re doing to do next, adjust to what your opponent is doing, and so on.<\/p>\n<h2>7. Treatment for Dementia<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-62634\" src=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2018\/01\/mental-stress-67.jpg\" alt=\"Dementia\" width=\"800\" height=\"553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2018\/01\/mental-stress-67.jpg 600w, https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2018\/01\/mental-stress-67-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/54\/2018\/01\/mental-stress-67-585x405.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Dementia is a degenerative disease that, according to an <em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/health-48094398\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article by the BBC<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/em> dementia poses one of the greatest health challenge of all. The main symptoms of dementia are memory loss, change in personality and behavior, feeling lost in a familiar environment and not being able to string a sentence together,<\/p>\n<p>But ping pong is being used to treat people suffering from dementia. The Sport and Art Educational Foundation began to use table tennis therapy for seniors showing early signs of Alzheimer\u2019s and other forms of dementia.<\/p>\n<p>Since table tennis activates the brain in several areas, they will be stimulating their entire state of awareness.<\/p>\n<p>These kinds of initiatives are amazing. Who knew that playing such a fun yet simple activity can have such a dramatic impact on mental health?<\/p>\n<h2>8. Improved Balance<\/h2>\n<p>You must have good balance to play table tennis well. This is because you must be able to change direction quickly and get from one side of the table to the other before the ball bounces twice.<\/p>\n<p>As you play more regularly, you will find an improvement in your overall balance. You\u2019ll feel more comfortable in quick movements and understand where to place your body to make the right shot.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>There are all sorts of health benefits of playing ping pong. You can build up your strength, improve your speed and have better balance without putting your body at serious risk.<\/p>\n<p>But it goes beyond your physical capabilities. Ping pong is great for keeping your mind active and improving mental health. The next time you plan a party with your friends, ensure you have enough bats for everyone to get involved.<\/p>\n<p>Article Submitted By Community Writer<\/p>\n<div class=\"4af0d39e3ff1bdbae5976e2330eb4205\" data-index=\"3\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n          <p><a id=\"link-15\" href=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\" id=\"img-15\" src=\"\"><\/a><\/p>\r\n            <script>\r\n            var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n              if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n                var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText);\r\n                document.getElementById(\"link-\"+myObj.id).setAttribute('href',myObj.url);\r\n                document.getElementById(\"img-\"+myObj.id).setAttribute('src','https:\/\/fetch.stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/\/uploads\/'+myObj.image);\r\n              }\r\n            };\r\n            xmlhttp.open(\"GET\", \"https:\/\/fetch.stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/\/api\/Ads\/15\", true);\r\n            xmlhttp.send();\r\n            <\/script>\r\n        \r\n        <style>\r\n        *{box-sizing:border-box}.top-container{display: grid;grid-template-columns: auto auto auto;}.column{float:left;width:100%;padding: 0 7.5px 15px 7.5px;}.row{margin:0 -5px}.row:after{content:\"\";display:table;clear:both}@media screen and (max-width: 600px){.top-container{display: block;grid-template-columns: unset;}.column{width:100%;display:block;margin-bottom:20px}}.card{text-align:center;}.card_image img{width:100%}.card_body{padding:15px}.card_title{font-size: 14px;line-height: 19px;text-decoration: none;text-align:left;color: #333;}.card-heading{text-align: left;margin-bottom: 25px !important;}\r\n        <\/style>\r\n        <div class=\"row todays-top\">\r\n            <h3 class=\"card-heading\"> Recent Articles: <\/h3><div class=\"top-container\" id=\"todays-top\">\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n        <script>\r\n            var xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n            if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n            var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText); \r\n            myObj.forEach(function(item) {\r\n            document.getElementById('todays-top').innerHTML += '<div class=\"column\"><div class=\"card\"><div class=\"card_image\"><a href=\"'+item.url+'\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"'+item.image+'\"><\/a><\/div><div class=\"card_body\"><a href=\"'+item.url+'\"><h3 class=\"card_title\">'+item.title+'<\/h3><\/a><a href=\"'+item.url+'\">Read more<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>';\r\n            });\r\n            }\r\n            };\r\n            xmlhttp.open(\"GET\", \"https:\/\/fetch.stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/api\/Drprem_blogs\", true);\r\n            xmlhttp.send();\r\n            <\/script>\r\n        \r\n        \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<style>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t.videoWrapper{position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0}.videoWrapper iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/style>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"videoWrapper\" id=\"video_7\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvar xmlhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            xmlhttp.onreadystatechange = function() {\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            if (this.readyState == 4 && this.status == 200) {\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                var myObj = JSON.parse(this.responseText);\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t                document.getElementById(\"video_\"+myObj.id).innerHTML = myObj.embed_video_code;\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            }\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            };\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            xmlhttp.open(\"GET\", \"https:\/\/fetch.stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/api\/Videos\/7\", true);\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t            xmlhttp.send();\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/script>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ping pong is a great way to spend some time with your friends and family. Anyone can get involved and is sure to get a smile on everyone\u2019s face. It\u2019s also a great activity for getting some exercise and improving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":79096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[4680,4683,4684,799,4679,4678,4681,4682,1955],"class_list":["post-79093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-off-beat","tag-brain-health","tag-burns-calories","tag-dementia","tag-featured","tag-hand-eye-coordination","tag-playing-ping-pong","tag-reflexes","tag-the-joints","tag-top"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79093"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79093\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stg-httpsdrpremcom-staging.kinsta.cloud\/guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}