Sex Is Better If You Exercise
If you want to have more fun in bed, try getting off the couch
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If you want good sex, you might want to get your cardio on. People who are physically active have more and better sex, for reasons ranging from better overall health and mood to increased blood flow to vital parts during the act.
“Physical activity is good for sex,” says Lee Smith, PhD, an epidemiologist researching physical activity and public health at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England. “Being more active is associated with lower risk of various chronic illnesses that we know often lower sexual activity” due to fatigue, pain, and other factors, he says.
Physical activity also improves stamina, which is “vital for a healthy sex life,” Smith says. “Lastly, it improves our mood. We know that physically active people are less prone to depression, their self-image is better, and their overall well-being is better.”
All of which ups the odds for more frequent, enjoyable romps in the hay.
In a 2019 study, Smith and his colleagues found that U.K. men and women ages 50 and older who engage in moderate physical activity (such as brisk walking or modest aerobic workouts) once a week say they have more sex than totally inactive people, and people engaging in even more vigorous exercise, such as sprinting or other exercises that leave them breathless, say they have even more sex.
Another study by his team, detailed in the January 2020 issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, drew from nationally representative data on U.S. adults averaging 38-years-old. The findings “confirmed that even in this younger group, sufficient levels of physical activity were associated with more sexual activity in both men and women.”
Men versus women
“Sexual dysfunctions are adversely affecting an increasing number of individuals due to the lowered rates of physical activity and the rise of obesity,” says Lia Jiannine, PhD, an assistant professor of exercise and sport science at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Research shows that half of obese men reported difficulty with sexual performance, and 40% of obese women say they don’t enjoy sexual activity. And it’s no small problem: Obesity rates…
