Why Is Badminton a Good Game to Help Maintain & Improve Physical Fitness?

Badminton is a high-impact sport that requires you to run, jump, swing your arms and use multiple muscles. This sport can be used as a recreational activity or as a highly competitive sporting contest. You can improve and maintain your physical fitness by playing badminton with others.

  1. Increase Heart Rate and Lung Benefits

    • Playing badminton at a moderately competitive level can help increase your heart rate and lung power. Participating in sports like badminton at a rigorous level is classified as an aerobic activity. The Mayo Clinic suggests that regular aerobic exercise can help you live longer and healthier. Aerobic activities like running, jumping, and swinging your arms are all involved in playing badminton.

    Increase HDL Cholesterol and Lower LDL Cholesterol

    • Badminton can also help you increase your HDL -- or "good" -- cholesterol levels and lower your LDL -- or "bad" -- levels at the same time. Your blood vessels constrict when levels of LDL cholesterol are high in your blood, which can cause long-term heart problems. Reducing LDL cholesterol levels reduces your risk of developing cardiac health issues like heart attack or hardening of the arteries. Science papers on the impact of exercise on cholesterol levels show that HDL is increased by physical activity like badminton due to the strenuous nature of the sport. As your endurance improves, your heart pumps harder to push blood through your body faster and your body secretes more HDL.

    Burning Calories and Weight Loss

    • Repeatedly playing badminton helps reduce weight and attain optimal weight for your height and age, according to the Badminton Information website. Playing badminton helps you burn calories as you exert effort into hitting the shuttlecock or birdie, running to different positions on the badminton court and stretching to reach wayward shots.

    Bone Health Benefits

    • Playing rigorous sports like badminton can also offer benefits to your bones and joints. Playing badminton or other sports that require high-impact jumping and running promotes the formation of bone cells and help in the assimilation of calcium in the skeleton's bone matrix, thereby strengthening it.

    Other Considerations

    • According to the Sports Fitness Advisor, a typical badminton relay (or match) between average competitors is 45 minutes in length. Aerobic and athletic activity for just under one hour a day is a great way to increase your physical fitness, speed and agility over time.