Does sex count as a form of cardiorespirtory exercise? Although bedroom escapades may get you all hot and bothered, the answer is no. You and your partner may feel like you have gone the distance in a 12 round bout, because both of your hearts are racing and you're each covered in sweat. But in reality these after shocks are largely due to hormones, not physical exertion. The act of sex burns very little calories. However, if you can find a way to move large muscle groups in extensive ranges of motion in rapid succession over a 30 to 60 minute time frame, then you can qualify your sexual habits as a form of exercise.
Good luck with that!
FIT FACTS: FROM THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE
Good luck with that!
FIT FACTS: FROM THE AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE
Studies Show Exercise Can Improve Your Sex Life
Exercise is not only a well-documented means of maintaining muscle and losing fat, recent studies propose that it can also revitalize your sex life.
In a February 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists found that sexual dysfunction is more likely among those with poor physical and emotional health, and plays a major role with negative experiences in sexual relationships and with overall well-being.
Studying sex and exercise
Sexual function is affected by general health, and the more you can do to improve your health by taking good care of yourself, the better your sex life can be.
Doctors at the New England Research Institute found that regular, vigorous exercise can be effective at lowering impotence risk. The researchers studied more than 600 middle-aged men who hadn't reported any problems with impotence. After eight years, the men who exercised regularly were less likely to have problems.
Vigorous exercise - the equivalent of walking two miles or burning 200 extra calories a day - was most effective.
On the opposite coast, a University of California, San Diego study of 78 healthy but sedentary middle-aged men documented changes when the men were assigned to exercise three to four times a week for one-hour sessions.
Overall, the former couch potatoes reported more reliable sexual functioning, more frequent sexual activity and orgasms, and greater satisfaction.
Yet another study, conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health, revealed that men who exercised vigorously for 20 to 30 minutes were about half as likely to have erection problems as inactive men. The scientists in this study also discovered that as a man gained weight, he became more susceptible to experiencing erectile dysfunction (E.D.).
Women's sex lives can also benefit from regular exercise. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin studied 35 women, ages 18 to 34. On two separate occasions the women first watched a short travel film, followed by an abbreviated X-rated film.
To begin with, the subjects cycled vigorously for 20 minutes. The second time they didn't. Researchers calculated their sexual response using a device that measures blood flow in genital tissue, and discovered that the women's vaginal responses were 169 percent greater after exercising.
More to love
Doctors believe that exercise has the effect it does on increasing sexual potency because it strengthens the cardiovascular system and improves circulation. Good circulation is important for sexual function.
Other things that hamper circulation include obesity, smoking or heavy alcohol use, however losing weight and quitting smoking or drinking didn't improve sexual function the way exercise did.
If exercise can do so much for your sex life, shouldn't more be even better? The answer is no, according to the same doctors who did the studies. Heavy exercise can actually decrease testosterone levels, leading to a less-robust sexual appetite.
In addition, over-training can compromise the immune system, which could also adversely affect sexual performance.
Exercise, while not a panacea, can be just what the doctor ordered for physical and psychological complaints.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
View a list of all Fit Facts™
Sign up for ACE's FREE e-newsletter for fitness enthusiasts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercise is not only a well-documented means of maintaining muscle and losing fat, recent studies propose that it can also revitalize your sex life.
In a February 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists found that sexual dysfunction is more likely among those with poor physical and emotional health, and plays a major role with negative experiences in sexual relationships and with overall well-being.
Studying sex and exercise
Sexual function is affected by general health, and the more you can do to improve your health by taking good care of yourself, the better your sex life can be.
Doctors at the New England Research Institute found that regular, vigorous exercise can be effective at lowering impotence risk. The researchers studied more than 600 middle-aged men who hadn't reported any problems with impotence. After eight years, the men who exercised regularly were less likely to have problems.
Vigorous exercise - the equivalent of walking two miles or burning 200 extra calories a day - was most effective.
On the opposite coast, a University of California, San Diego study of 78 healthy but sedentary middle-aged men documented changes when the men were assigned to exercise three to four times a week for one-hour sessions.
Overall, the former couch potatoes reported more reliable sexual functioning, more frequent sexual activity and orgasms, and greater satisfaction.
Yet another study, conducted at the Harvard School of Public Health, revealed that men who exercised vigorously for 20 to 30 minutes were about half as likely to have erection problems as inactive men. The scientists in this study also discovered that as a man gained weight, he became more susceptible to experiencing erectile dysfunction (E.D.).
Women's sex lives can also benefit from regular exercise. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin studied 35 women, ages 18 to 34. On two separate occasions the women first watched a short travel film, followed by an abbreviated X-rated film.
To begin with, the subjects cycled vigorously for 20 minutes. The second time they didn't. Researchers calculated their sexual response using a device that measures blood flow in genital tissue, and discovered that the women's vaginal responses were 169 percent greater after exercising.
More to love
Doctors believe that exercise has the effect it does on increasing sexual potency because it strengthens the cardiovascular system and improves circulation. Good circulation is important for sexual function.
Other things that hamper circulation include obesity, smoking or heavy alcohol use, however losing weight and quitting smoking or drinking didn't improve sexual function the way exercise did.
If exercise can do so much for your sex life, shouldn't more be even better? The answer is no, according to the same doctors who did the studies. Heavy exercise can actually decrease testosterone levels, leading to a less-robust sexual appetite.
In addition, over-training can compromise the immune system, which could also adversely affect sexual performance.
Exercise, while not a panacea, can be just what the doctor ordered for physical and psychological complaints.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
View a list of all Fit Facts™
Sign up for ACE's FREE e-newsletter for fitness enthusiasts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 comments:
dang! if i had known then wjat i learnt today from your blog - that a romp in bed does not amount to a session at the gym, i would not have been (past tense, mind you!) such a horny bunny rabbit afterall.
dang!
Thanks for visiting my blog. Like your place here, it's all in a past life for me now as I'm disabled & a tad limited in exercise possibilities, but I do what I can. Miss the old days though.
ms_j - the statement of truth "if I knew then, what I know now."
mike_s - thanks for the visit, I'll swing by your way again in the future
I knew it! I had an argument a few days ago about sex burning significant calories and everyone thought I was wrong. I am emailing them your blog.
Very good to know...
Monica: Yes, it is time to put this myth to rest.
randi523: That's right, don't get rid of your gym membership just yet.
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