May is National Tennis Month, which means it’s a good time to talk about this wonderful game and how marvelous it is for all aspects of the Beauty-Brain Loop: Inner Beauty, Outer Beauty, Health and Environment.  Eva, in particular, has a special interest in this, being an admitted tennis junkie, but we are both big fans of the game and love the fact that it fosters professional female athletes who are as strong, fierce and exciting to watch as men.

The United States Tennis Association is sponsoring the special month to increase participation in tennis at all levels, from community tennis clubs to the professional circuit.  All around the country, USTA chapters will be hosting festivals, clinics and tournaments to teach young people the game and encourage adults to get reacquainted with a game they may not have played in years.  But to us, tennis is one of the most beauty-friendly of sports.  We’ll tell you why, starting with the most obvious stage of the Loop:

• Health—Take a look at pro tennis players and it’s obvious that the sport is fantastic for fitness and cardiovascular health.  To play tennis for an extended period of time, you have to be fit.  You also need to be strong, flexible and quick.  Regular tennis encourages physical fitness and delivers an amazing workout.  Health as it relates to complete beauty is about vitality and maximizing one’s physical potential.  It isn’t about being model-slim, but about being the best you can be.  Venus and Serena Williams aren’t built like models; they are powerful athletes.  But because tennis has helped them make the most of their physical gifts, they are two of the most stunning female athletes in any sport.  Tennis is a wonderful activity for improving the health of the whole body, and health is beautiful.
• Inner Beauty—The most important aspects of Inner Beauty are qualities like confidence and self-esteem, and tennis brings these out in abundance.  Playing regularly and improving one’s game requires enough discipline and commitment that people who achieve a high level of proficiency usually also gain greatly in self-confidence and a sense of their own ability to overcome obstacles to achieve a goal—the greatest source of self-esteem.  Tennis isn’t easy; it’s a blindingly fast game that demands great concentration and skill.  Mastering it even at low levels is something that men and woman should be proud of.  Regular tennis players that we know tend to be fit and happy with themselves, which makes them more appealing to others.
• Outer Beauty—The health-promoting effects of tennis are wonderful for the skin and exterior beauty as a whole.  The sport is fantastic for weight control; the average person burns more than 500 calories during one hour of singles tennis.  The exercise tightens and tones the muscles, which improves overall appearance.  One caveat: you should always wear broad-spectrum sunscreen when playing tennis, because the extended time in the sun can damage your skin.
• Environment—Tennis is a communal game that’s played in the social environment of tennis clubs, where people teach each other, engage in good-natured rivalries, and in many cases help their local communities.  The environmental aspect of beauty is about relationships in great part, and tennis is the door to many wonderful relationships for many people.

If you don’t play, May is a great time to learn.  If you already play, it’s a perfect time to teach someone else how to play and bring a little more activity and health to your world.  Find out more information at the USTA website.

Stay beautiful,

Debi & Eva

We don’t announce most events on our blog, but this one is special: the first annual Marissa Nestor Invitational Doubles Tournament is being held on Saturday, March 9 at 9 a.m. at the La Gorce Country Club, located at 5685 Alton Road in Miami Beach, Florida.  What makes this tournament so special.  Marissa is Eva’s lovely daughter and the event is in honor of her 18th birthday

This is the listing from the website SocialMiami.com:

Sign up for a day of tennis and fun at the first ever Marissa Nestor Invitational Doubles Tournament, a fundraiser for United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida. Player fees are $30 per individual and $50 per team, which includes lunch and a chance to win tickets for the Sony Ericsson Open. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and the matches get underway at 10. Tennis Pro Daniel Capote will organize this kick-off tournament, an introduction to the main event that will take place November 14, also a benefit for UCP. The tournament is named in honor of Marissa Nestor, a young woman living with cerebral palsy and the daughter of UCP of South Florida board member, Dr. Eva Ritvo, who is hosting the tournament. For information about participating or sponsoring the tournament, please call or e-mail Janelle Cedeno.

Marissa was born with a condition called hemiparesis, which is a weakness on one side of the body that can be caused by cerebral palsy.  That’s why the fundraiser is for UCP.  This is also special because Eva is a huge tennis fan who has been to Wimbledon and spends a lot of her free time on the court.  So this is a chance to engage the sport she loves to both show her love for Marissa and to support a worthy cause, namely, cerebral palsy and hemiparesis research.

This is also an example of the Beauty-Brain Loop in action.  You activate your Inner Beauty because helping others makes you feel good.  You protect your Outer Beauty by wearing sunscreen and a hat, and burning calories to keep you trim.  You improve your Health with the cardiovascular exercise, and improve your Environment because you’re surrounded by friends and giving to a good cause.

To find out more about the 2009 Marissa Nestor Invitational Doubles Tournament, you can go to the Social Miami website here, or call 305-325-9018.