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Pickleball is a popular sport at the Youngstown Jewish Community Center.

Pickleball is a popular sport at the Youngstown Jewish Community Center.

Dr. Rahul Sinha has been treating patients recovering from heart attacks or heart disease for two years at Mercy Health.

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He’s passionate about getting people to exercise and make changes in small steps in the right direction for their heart health.

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Cardiovascular health is crucial for your overall well-being no matter what age you are, according to Dr. Sinha.

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“No age is too young. The best way to stay healthy is to eat and exercise and the best way to do that is to get cardio,” said Dr. Sinha. “The recommendation is now 30 minutes of cardio a day.”

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He said cardio can look different for each person.

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“Anything that gets the heart rate up and keeps it up for those 30 minutes,” said Dr. Sinha. “It can be as simple as walking versus going to a swimming pool or going on a bike ride. And it can be exciting to play pickleball.”

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Dr. Sinha recommends to his patients to try playing pickleball for lots of reasons.

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“Pickleball’s the fastest growing sport in the U.S.; I think the reason for that is that it’s an easy learning curve. It applies to all ages, and there are a lot of free courts open when the weather is good. In the winter, there are indoor facilities available. So any town you visit, there’s always a pickleball court available and there’s always people available to play because it’s so popular,” said Dr. Sinha. “It’s easy to learn people can get involved, and I think there’s also a mental health aspect to it. Various communities get together on multiple evenings of the week to play.”

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Although there have been injuries associated with pickleball players, Dr. Sinha said not to be discouraged.

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“While the number of injuries are reportedly higher, because of I think it’s a reflection of the number of people who are playing the sport, but because it’s not a very it’s at best moderate intensity. I don’t think injury risk is really that high,” he said.

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Dr. Sinha recommends starting small with any lifestyle changes.

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“Self education is very important,” he said. “Most people have a basic idea about what’s good and what’s not. When making changes in what you eat, it should be slight changes, nothing drastic. Make changes that you can keep up in the long run, not something that you do for a month or two and not able to keep up with it,” said Dr. Sinha.

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Another tip is finding someone to work out with or a partner for pickleball matches to keep you accountable.

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“When I see my older patients in the office, it is a lifetime of good habits that is reflected. So if they are in their 80s and they’re still driving, they’re going to the grocery store, they’re independent, it’s because it’s a lifetime of good habits,” he said. “Such as screening for various risk factors, not smoking, moderation and alcohol consumption and being healthy and active. Most people are pretty active when they’re young, but it should be maintained. Once work and life gets in the way, exercise is sort of forgotten, but there needs to be time in the day scheduled for it.”

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