Posted on September 8, 2025
Posted by Athena Scalzi
There are very few sports I like and even fewer physical activities I enjoy partaking in as exercise. Unfortunately, the older and heavier I get, the more I realize that I really should be doing some kind of movement. The movement of choice has been hard to determine, as I hate running, am not fond of going to an actual gym, and don’t feel like joining a recreational sports team of any kind.
Thankfully, pickleball has revealed its beautiful self to me. Pickleball, a sport known for its popularity amongst senior citizens, has turned out to be perfect for an absolute couch potato like me.
Have you ever wanted to play tennis but are definitely not fit enough to do so? Lo and behold pickleball, tennis’s much less intense and inexpensive cousin. With lighter paddles, whiffle balls instead of tennis balls, and smaller courts than tennis, it’s perfect for anyone who is less athletically inclined, such as myself.
I truly never thought I’d find a physical activity that I deemed “fun.” Going to the gym and lifting weights is not exactly fun. Running on a treadmill is not what I’d consider fun. However, pickleball actually is pretty fun! I am excited to say I like it, and I’m really happy I’ve found something that I don’t hate doing that also gets me up and my heart pumpin’.
I think it’s really helped that my pickleball partner is my mom, and playing with her has been pretty great. She helps hold me accountable on days when I don’t feel like getting up and playing, we play music from a speaker when no one else is there (which is 97% of the time), and sometimes we get Subway afterwards. It’s nice to have some dedicated time together doing a decently fun activity, and I feel much less competitive when it’s just against my mom. Like I don’t get miffed when I lose, which I cannot say about most things (like Fortnite).
While I do still hate being in the sun and despise sweating, I have found that I can tolerate the hour of playing that we do. We usually play a best two out of three, and that’s roughly a good enough amount of time for me to feel like I have accomplished “the exercise.” Like, I actually got up and spent an okay amount of time moving my body, and now I want to shower. That counts as being active in my book.
I hate to say it, like really hate to say it, but I do actually tend to feel better after having played pickleball. It’s almost like… exercise is good for you? Crazy, I know. And trust me, I’ve spent a lot of time avoiding it. But dang, getting older does not feel great on my joints, and my weight isn’t helping in that area, either.
I’m not saying pickleball is my new secret to weight loss and the key to unlock health, but I figure it’s better than absolutely nothing, which is what I was previously doing. It’s fun, anyway, and that’s all that really matters, right? Right.
Have you played pickleball before? What do you think of it? What do you like to do to stay active? Let me know in the comments, and have a great day!
-AMS
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