Five Reasons Playing More Pickleball Should be Your New Year’s Resolution

Five Reasons Playing More Pickleball Should be Your New Year’s Resolution

Nearly 40% of U.S. adults set New Year’s resolutions every year. According to a Statista survey, the top four resolutions of 2023 are:

  1. To exercise more
  2. To eat healthier 
  3. To lose weight
  4. To save more money

It’s easy to relate to these resolutions, but it’s difficult to imagine enjoying them. You may think of dumbbells, kale, and penny-pinching. But you shouldn’t have to dread your life to make it healthier. 

Here are five reasons playing more pickleball could be an enjoyable and effective New Year’s resolution:

1. Pickleball gets you active

Exercise typically tops the list of U.S. New Year’s resolutions, receiving 53% of the votes in 2023. Gym memberships skyrocket in January, but treadmills collect more dust than sweat by the spring. 

Many of us fall short of sticking with our resolutions because we try to accomplish too much too fast. You shouldn’t try to run 10 miles if you’ve never ran three. 

Pickleball makes exercise more accessible than your traditional workouts. The more enjoyable an activity is, the more likely you are to continue it. 

There is still a need for exercises like weight training that pickleball alone can’t meet. But pickleball is an excellent gateway to exercise for people who haven’t worked out since high school phys ed. 

2. Pickleball gets you outside

The average American spends 93% of their life inside a building or a car. 

You’ve experienced what studies continue to show — that spending time outside can improve your mood, sleep, and health. Yet, we often fail to create a lifestyle that gets us outside. 

It’s time to get outside, play some pickleball, and feel the benefits of vitamin D(ink). 

3. Pickleball encourages play

When was the last time you played like a child? 

Probably on the pickleball court. 

Unfortunately, children aren’t playing much these days either. 

The average American child spends only 4-7 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play. And about seven hours in front of a screen. 

We could all benefit from getting away from our screens to play games that help us lose track of time and laugh with those we love. 

We have lost the art of play — pickleball can help us reclaim it. 

4. Pickleball makes you a student 

One of the greatest joys of pickleball is teaching your friends how to play. 

You first teach them the essentials: the kitchen, dinking, and how to keep score

They then start asking questions about strategy. And like any sport, you can’t perfect pickleball. There are always things you can improve, strategies you can learn, and questions you can ask. 

As long as you’re a pickler, you’re a student. 

By staying curious on the court, you become more receptive to feedback. Every game is an opportunity to grow your appetite for learning. 

5. Pickleball gives you a diverse community

As pickleball has grown in awareness, the sport is experiencing a blending of age demographics that rivals any other activity.

USA Pickleball found that 52% of core picklers are 55 or older, while 79% of casual picklers are 54 or younger. And from 2020 to 2021, the fastest-growing group was players under 24 years old.

There aren’t many activities that 20-year-olds routinely share with senior citizens. There also aren’t many activities where age is not the primary differentiator between competitors. Youthfulness doesn’t always win in pickleball. 

People have their home and their workplace. The pickleball court is becoming the new third place that gives people opportunities to build relationships beyond family and coworkers.