Tuesday 18 Pickleball Players, Coffee & Snacks

Jane is having a laugh with Terry (maybe his Scottish accent) and Michelle!!!
About 18 regular pickleball players played on Tuesday afternoon. Dave played two games with a new player Frank who played very well because he has played before about a year ago in the Ag-Rec building. We all enjoyed coffee, tea, snacks and chat afterwards.

Pickleball: Fitness For People of All Ages

Five regular pickleball players showed up on Sunday night. Barry brought his girlfriend Edie to learn how to play. I explained to her how to score as most new players are confused with the scores, especially the last number is a server number 1 or 2, the receiving side cannot score a point, and you call your own score number first.

We welcome new players !!! Pickleball is a sport suitable for people of all ages:

Seniors - More new senior players like Bill, Peter, Michelle and Joyce have joined us to play pickleball and enjoying it to get in shape and have fun.

Adults - A lot of adults discovered pickleball by seeing and hearing pickleball from the fitness and track level above the pickleball courts. Some young adults have asked Mike to teach them after seeing how good he can play. Mike has inspired a new generation of young adult players.

Children - Many children like Jacob, Brandon, Yeep are very good pickleball players. They can invite their friends to play with them and inspire more children to play pickleball.

Pickleball Reduces Stress, improves health

Richard, Joyce, Bill, Gord, Shirley and Mike.

All four courts were busy with 18 regular players on Thursday afternoon. Four regular players showed up Thursday night, and about 16 new younger players ages about 16-35 years old all enjoyed rallying with each other. Mike and I taught four new players and they were happy to learn the rules and how to score in a game.

Two players told me that pickleball helps them reduce stress and clear the mind of the stress of everyday lives (work, responsibilities, tax returns etc.) Read more on how Stress affects your health http://stress.about.com/

Cortisol. Stress and weight gain:
Stress can contribute to weight gain. Cortisol, a stress hormone is elevated in response to stress. Too much cortisol leads to weight gain.

Emotional Eating -- Increased levels of cortisol can not only make you crave unhealthy food, but excess nervous energy can often cause you to eat more than you normally would.

Too Busy to Exercise -- With all the demands on your schedule, exercise may be one of the last things on your to-do list.

Metabolism --Too much cortisol can slow your metabolism, causing more weight gain than you would normally experience. This also makes dieting more difficult.

Cravings -- OK, you're stressed. Do you reach for a nice salad or a pint of Ben & Jerry's? I'll bet on the latter. People experiencing chronic stress tend to crave more fatty, salty and sugary foods.

Blood Sugar -- A major trigger for food cravings is low blood sugar. Cravings can lead to binge eating and eating disorders.

Fat Storage -- Excessive stress affects where we tend to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat.

Pickleball improves blood circulation, memory, flexibility,reduces stress, builds muscle strength

Above: Catherine, Henrietta, Shirley, Annette. Below: Joan, Rita.

Above: Al, Mike, Dave, Richard. Below: Henry, Tom, Ganbat.

All four courts were busy with 20 regular players on Tuesday afternoon, four people waiting to play. Jerry, Tom, Al, Richard, Henry, Barry, Gord, Ganbat, Bill, Rita, Annette, Catherine, Joyce, Dorothy, Michelle, Henrietta, Joan, Mike, Dave and me. We rotated players and played many games.

We all enjoyed coffee, snacks and chat afterwards. Topics of conversation include health issues that playing pickleball provides enormous health benefits: improve memory, blood circulation, energy levels, reduce stress, weight loss etc. Read more on health benefits of exercise http://www.brain-aerobics.net/

■Raise metabolism
■Build muscle strength
■Induce lipolysis (breakdown of fat)
■Build bone mass and bone mineral density
■Reduce cortisol levels (stress hormone)
■Reduce back & joint pain
■Increase range of motion
■Rehabilitate injuries
■Elevate serotonin levels to help improve memory
■Improve circulation
■Decrease blood pressure
■Increase blood oxygenation
■Increase energy levels
■Increase flexibility and balance
■Encourage digestion and colonic movement
■Visibly improve body tone
■Strengthen core muscles

Pickleball helps weight loss, make you happy

All four courts were full of regular players Thursday afternoon (about 19 people)with a few people waiting to play, Richard, Al, Tom, Gord, Henry, Ganbat, Joan, Catherine, Henrietta, Michelle, Joyce, Bill, Grant, Dave, Mike and me. Grant and I played with Louise and her son Jacob (about 12 years old) who played very well because he played a lot of pickleball in Arizona with his grandparents during Spring break.

Some players were concerned about not enough courts when the snowbirds come back, but Grant said that four more courts can be open in mid-April, so they don't have to worry about too many people waiting to play.

Like Pat, Annette told me she has also lost 20 lbs. after three months playing pickleball (burning calories) and Dr. Oz diet plan which cuts out deep fried foods, more fruit and vegetables, six smaller meals instead of three big meals per day. It has made her feel so much better, no wonder she looks so terrific and played so well.
http://www.observer-online.com/articles/2009/12/05/news/doc4b19af368342f292387055.txt This article about Pickleballer Risa Caldwell has dropped 22 pounds, much of that weight loss due to playing pickleball, some due to better nutrition. In addition to losing weight, pickleball has helped Risa combat lonliness by meeting new friends and a lot of fun to get in shape.

Exercise Increases Serotonin Levels - Serotonin is the hormone that sends signals to your brain. The good news is that by increasing your serotonin levels you can reduce cravings, control your appetite and lose weight. A serotonin imbalance causes mood-related problems and is often the reason we crave carbs and have an uncontrollable appetite. Serotonin is a brain chemical that suppresses your appetite and makes you happy (it is your body's natural Prozac). A lack of serotonin is linked with depression in people and cause people in bad mood. So playing pickleball will also help to make you happy.

Ten people showed up Thursday night. Grant, Mike and me had a lot of fun playing with Terry and four younger players Matt, another Mike, Nathan and Nomi (I love to chat with Nomi). These younger players are excellent strong players.

Tuesday Courts Full of Pickleball Players

 

All four courts on Tuesday afternoon were full with a few people waiting to play (19 players today). Regular players are Ganbat, Henry, Tom, Jerry, Al, Richard, Joan, Henrietta, Catherine, Gord, Barry, Grant, Mike, Dave and me. Some newer players are Sheryl, Joyce, Michelle and Bill. Everyone had so much fun that we played till 4pm. We all enjoyed coffee, snacks and chat afterwards.

Singles Pickleball Burns Calories Sunday Night

Eight regular pickleball players showed up Sunday night, Henry, Herb, Ganbat, Annette, Catherine, Dave, Mike and me. Pat played a few times but he is already an excellent player because he was a tennis player with a powerful ground stroke. It was challenging to win a game against Pat, Henry, Herb and Ganbat since they are all advanced players.

Two new younger players had fun rallying with each other. New players enjoy being able to hit the ball first before they want to learn the game. We played with Grant and his son Sam (about 8 years old) who is also learning how to play.


Pat said he has lost 25 lbs which made him feel so good (he also runs fast) and he plans to lose another 25 lbs. Many players said pickleball has helped them lose weight with all the fun running around to hit the ball.

Annette found out what a huge cardio workout she had playing singles with Ganbat. It is not uncommon to see player heart rates rise into the 150 to 175 range. The burn rate for advanced pickleball players is in the range of 350-400 calories per hour. This is not as high as competitive squash (about 850 calories per hour) nor does it compare with singles tennis (550 per hour). However, singles pickleball does burn more calories per hour than volleyball (200), table tennis (270) or golf with a power cart (240).

Welcome Some More New Players Thursday

All four courts were full Thursday afternoon with about five people waiting to play, mostly regular pickleball players with about four new players. Dave and I were teaching two new players who really enjoyed it. I played well today because I won my first game with Ganbat against Jerry and Dave, Jerry is one of the best players.

Mostly younger players on Thursday night, many new players came to learn to play. Mike and I had fun teaching two new players. We also played with another new player Eric (young lifeguard) and Brandon (about 14 years old) who played very well.

Snack Schedule April - June , Life is Good

All four courts were full of regular pickleball players (about 16) Tuesday afternoon. Two new players Terry (from Scotland) and another Dave joined us. Jane is back from her trip to Thailand. We all enjoyed coffee and snacks afterwards with our latest news. Thanks to everyone for bringing the snacks on Tuesdays.

New Snack Schedule:
April 6 - Catherine
April 13 - Richard
April 20 - Henrietta
April 27 - Shirley
May 4 - Michelle
May 11 - Joyce
May 18 - Jane
May 25 - Mandy
June 1 - Shirley
June 8 - Julie
June 15 - Lorie
June 22 - Richard
June 29 - Rod

Welcome New Players Thursday Pickleball

All four courts were full of pickleball players on Thursday afternoon with people waiting to play. Henry came back from Palm Springs. Most players are regulars Gord, Tom, Jerry, Barry, Richard, Ganbat, Henrietta, Michelle, Katherine, Joan, Dave, Mike and me. Rita and her husband Peter are new players, so is Bill. Two other new players came to learn pickleball. It looks like more and more new players are coming to learn how to play pickleball. I was teaching Bill and Peter and they told me they enjoyed it very much.

All Courts Full Tuesday Pickleball & Coffee

Olympic party is over. Tuesday pickleball is back to normal after two weeks pickleball afternoon cancellation. All four courts were full of regular players Herb, Richard, Tom, Gord, Barry, Ganbat, Henrietta, Joan, Dave, Mike and me. Some newer players Sheryl, Michelle and another Dave are becoming regulars. Bill joined us for the first time. Henrietta is back from Florida and said it was miserably cold there and her flight was delayed for two days due to storms. We all enjoyed an hour of coffee and friendly chat afterwards.