Play Your Way to Better Health

Why playing can be the best exercise for your mental and physical health

“I’m in pretty good shape for my age,” says 92-year-old Gale Fiscusm, who has been playing pickleball for more than a decade. “Some weeks I come out five days. I always make (it) at least one or two (days).” Photo: USA Pickleball

Modern life has become increasingly sedentary, with a lot of modern work being mental, performed while sitting. Even many of our daily tasks and needs can largely be accomplished through a screen. This forces us to make physical activity a personal responsibility and primarily obtained through structured exercise.

But what if you don’t like to exercise? The evidence is clear that exercise and physical activity are vital for good health, but adherence to the physical activity guidelines remains poor, as fewer than 25% of Americans are meeting the physical activity guidelines.

The most effective exercise routines, like successful diets, are those we choose to integrate into our lives rather than those imposed on us. And an effective way to integrate more physical activity into our lives is through play. Doing so can have significant health benefits, even better than formal exercise.

Play, a mammalian invention more than 80 million years old, has persisted through evolution because it bonds us with others, reduces anxiety, and enhances agility, strength, and stamina, according to research from the Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise. These benefits improve our chances of thriving in modern…