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“What is the best exercise for me?”
“You guys are the experts, is badminton really effective in helping me lose weight?”
“Should I start playing badminton or should I work out at the gym instead?”
I can’t tell you the amount of times Henry and I have been asked these questions. And while there is nothing like a silly question, the answer to “What is the best kind of exercise for me?” is a simple and straightforward one. The best exercise for you is the one you do frequently, without giving up on!
Having said that, there are many arguments in the support of pursuing a sport instead of going to the gym, especially when it comes to matters of losing weight and increasing your stamina. And when it comes to sports, there are few games that can match the rigour and strenuous nature of badminton!
Let’s break down the benefits of this intense sport and get into a deep dive of what makes badminton the ideal sport to take up, in lieu of a repetitious gym workout.
It’s the New Year. You get yourself a new gym membership and vow that this year, you’re going to focus on your health and well-being. You haul yourself out of your bed or home and go to the gym with a zeal that surprises your folks. This lasts exactly 2 weeks and then fizzles out like a damp firework. Sound familiar? Don’t cringe, it’s alright, no judgements here… We’ve all been there and done that!
Often, this is a result of the monotony that comes with a gym workout. Unless you’ve got a personal trainer whose only motive in life is to change up your workout every week so that you don’t ever get bored, it is highly unlikely that you will be happy doing the same old routine, day in and day out.
Badminton will not only keep you captivated but will also ensure you get a full body workout. Livestrong.com estimates that you can lose at least 310 calories through a normal or low intensity paced game of badminton. Read more on this here.
As an example, look at this match here… Observe the passion and imagine the calories each player burns throughout the game! It is insane how intense badminton can get.
Badminton is known to be a fast and intense game. It is, after all, the world’s fastest racquet sport. How’s this for a comparison… Shuttlecocks can reach speeds of up to 493 kmph! Compare that to the Eurostar train that has a maximum speed of 300 kmph.
Tennis is often compared to badminton, but the latter is far more intense. There are no bouncing balls that give you a second’s chance to react in badminton. Keeping the shuttle afloat is the only way that the game can be played, which requires one to often jump and stretch. Incidentally, this is very similar to what you would achieve through a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) routine at the gym.
Because of the split-second decision-making time you get in badminton between shots, there is far more mental stimulation in this sport. With your mind constantly deciding your next move, your reflexes will be considerably sharper after a few games!
Try wearing a fitness tracker for an hour or two of badminton. You’ll often find that you can easily cross your ‘daily steps’ target in a few hours, as compared to accomplishing that throughout a full day!
Badminton will get your heart racing far more easily and quickly than a session at the gym. Playing badminton often leads to stronger heart muscles, thereby reducing the risk of heart disease significantly.
I remember reading an interesting article on the Express UK website, that talks about a study proving that badminton and other racquet sports lowers the risk of death considerably. That might sound dramatic but playing badminton does have an undeniable host of benefits.
Because Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), aka BAD cholesterol is one of the reasons of the reduced size of blood vessels, this directly influences the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. A frequent game of badminton has been found to increase the levels of High-density lipoprotein (HDL), aka, GOOD cholesterol in one’s body, thereby decreasing the risk of heart disease. Here’s a link to the study on this.
For some people, a gym will never be a lasting solution, simply because working out alone will not pose enough of a challenge and they will inevitably quit because of sheer boredom, if nothing else!
With badminton, because you are playing with another person, there is less chance of you quitting. Even if you are slightly competitive, a medium to fast paced game of badminton will get your heart racing and will release a slew of endorphins that will keep you coming back to the court!
No gym will come close to being able to give you the ecstatic thrill of a point won through a good smash; this I can guarantee!
No matter which option you decide to take up, whether it is playing badminton at your local club (or even setting up a new in your backyard!) or deciding to spend an hour exercising at your neighbourhood gym, my first bit of advice for you would be to ease into it. Don’t set your goals so high that you immediately get disheartened if the results take time to show up.
Because if you continue incessantly and throw yourself, heart and soul into something, especially when it comes to badminton, the results WILL show up- this I can vouch for! You don’t have to be QuickSilver with superhuman speed to smash every shot (remember that epic kitchen scene in X-Men: Days of Future Past?)
Start slow and build up the faith you have in yourself and your physical body! On days when you don’t feel like picking up that racquet, remind yourself of the rush you felt when you won that game, or even watch a clip of a match or two… There are innumerable ways to stay inspired and to keep pushing yourself. Spend some time on yourself and find what works for you!
I hope this post (and this one!) convinces you to take up badminton, because once you do, you’ll soon come to realise that badminton is so much more than just a way to lose weight. Even though more than 35 years (combined) have gone by since we first started playing, there are multiple reasons why Henry and I continue to rave about Badminton. I invite you to find yours…
Till next time, take care and stay safe!
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