Pickleball Magazine 2-2 Courtesy of The Pickleball Guru | Page 55

Exercise, like laughter, releases chemicals in our
bodies that are both beneficial and stress reducing.
When you exercise, your body creates endorphins.
Endorphins act as an analgesic, which means they
diminish the perception of pain. They also act as
sedatives. They are manufactured in your brain,
spinal cord and many other parts of your body and
are released in response to brain chemicals called
neurotransmitters. The neuron receptors endorphins
bind to are the same ones that bind some pain
medicines.
REGULAR EXERCISE HAS BEEN PROVEN TO:
• Reduce stress
• Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
• Boost self-esteem
• Improve sleep
Pickleball players are self-rated on a scale of 2 to
5 with average players at level 3, so it’s easy to find
suitable partners to give you a friendly game while
improving your strength and stamina.
Cancer survivors cherish the moments when our
disease is put on the back burner for a while, and a
game of pickleball has a way of focusing our attention
on the present moment when getting that funny-
looking ball back across the net is the only concern we
need to have.
It’s a game where health challenges are met with
kindness and cooperation, while knee and elbow
braces are considered part of the uniform. I have
severe arthritis in both of my knees, the result of 35
years of competitive running, but once on the court
and properly warmed up, my pain seems to dissolve.
This is due to the fact that those endorphins
created by my own body are doing their job. But
there’s another, even more important reason that
I and millions like me keep returning to the courts.
Out there amongst the sounds of paddles popping on
plastic balls, and the music of laughter echoing across
the nets, you’re likely to meet some of the friendliest
people on Earth.  •
RiverStyks Ads 2016 Quarter Page Ad March v2.pdf
2
3/10/16
BRING COLOR TO YOUR GAME.
C
M
WHAT’S YOURS?
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
Khevin is a breast cancer survivor. He was diagnosed with Stage
1, Grade 3 invasive breast cancer in May, 2014, while completing
a year of residency at the Honolulu Diamond Sangha, a Buddhist
Temple and Zen Center in Hawaii. He had mastectomy surgery
followed by ongoing holistic therapy, including exercise, curcumin,
laughter and meditation.
K
PICKLEBALLS THAT FLY TRUE.
VISIT US AT
WWW.RIVERSTYKS.COM
MARCH/APRIL 2017 |
MAGAZINE
53
11:43