Thirsty (for knowledge) Thursday: Tennis Anyone?

According to this article from the Mayo Clinic, us solitary swimmers / cyclists / runners should maybe find a partner. For a long life, they believe the social aspect of team sports help create a longer life.

"And the study actually found that the team sports, the sports where you had some social connectivity, actually produced a greater longevity than those individual sports," says Dr. Ed Laskowski, co-director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine.

Dr. Laskowski says a recent study shows people who play social sports like tennis or soccer tend to live longer than those who participate in individual sports like swimming or running.

Among "social" sports, racquet sports (like tennis) appear to extend life the most. And the reasoning is something that's been a hot topic for the last few years: interval training.

"If you're playing a point, you may have 30 seconds of very intense activity followed by a recovery period," Dr. Laskowski says. "So we're finding that that type of activity is very efficient at training the body, and a lot of times those ... short bouts of more intense activity produce greater efficiency and actually a greater training effect."

But Dr. Laskowski says if running or swimming alone is your thing, stick to it. You'll still live longer than without exercise.

But if you take up a racquet sport like tennis, one study says you may live even longer.

I consider myself a "people person," but I've ALWAYS enjoyed training solo. Maybe I need to consider training with a buddy more often.

For more "Thirsty Thursday" posts that highlight workouts, body science, and all kinds of interesting information, CLICK HERE. As always, back with some "Friday Funnies" tomorrow.