Exercise has a variety of payoffs. However, based on the number of people who start and stop workout programs, apparently weight loss, meeting new people, living longer and improving the quality of life aren’t enough incentive to make exercise a permanent part of their lives. Well, there is one more benefit to working out, but it’s one that doesn’t get a lot of press.
According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), studies have shown that vigorous exercise improves sex for both men and women. It’s logical. If love’s like a muscle, you gotta workout to enhance it. A well-rounded workout will strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, and increase endurance. You shouldn’t need anyone to spell out for you how all of those bennies can help in the bedroom. ACE also reports on a Harvard School of Public Health study that showed men who participated in a brisk workout were less likely than sedentary men to experience erectile dysfunction. Plus, exercising can help you lose weight, and that is a terrific confidence-booster that makes you feel sexier.
Working out makes you feel better physically and emotionally, which results in a revved-up libido.
Remember the experiment where researchers had a handful of students treat a shy, plain female student as though she were a hottie? They made her feel attractive and, what do you know? She actually became attractive to other male students who weren’t in on the experiment. Exercise works a lot like that. You look better and feel better about yourself, and you put out a desirable vibe as a result.
Fox News also points out that when you work out, the endorphins your brain produces prompts your body to release sex hormones. When you do a cardiovascular workout, the beta-endorphins direct your blood to flow, making you more sensitive to touch. With resistance workouts, it’s testosterone that spikes, and that is the specific sex hormone that makes you feel aroused.
Yoga will improve flexibility for women AND men.
Everyday Health lists cardio (walking and swimming) and weight lifting as some of the top exercises that men should do to improve sex, but they will work just as well for women. The other two exercises that made the top five are yoga, for improving flexibility, and Kegels to help control and improve the quality of orgasm for both sexes.
Different types of crunches and lower ab exercises are recommended for improving the quality of sex. Image by Nayana Thara K
If you are wondering whether there are specific exercises you can do to optimize the sexual benefits of working out, just about any type of aerobic exercise will work for the cardio part. As for the resistance segment of your workout, WebMD recommends pushups to improve upper body strength and deadlifts for strengthening your back and legs. Squats are another effective exercise for improving leg strength that may come in handy. Also, since a strong pelvic floor improves sex, bridges and lower ab exercises such as leg lifts and lower ab crunches are the secret weapons for intensifying orgasms.