When I ask myself is , I picture the scene from “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie throw each other around their kitchen for an hour. Unfortunately, not every sexual experience is quite that… well, high-intensity. But how many calories do we really burn in the act?
Discover Is Sex Good Exercise to Lose Weight?
As an exercise physiologist and someone who even finds ways to burn calories while driving and working on my computer, I found this to be a very disappointing statistic. According to WebMD, 30 minutes of sex can burn in the neighborhood of 85 to 100 calories; if you feel like you have a pretty vigorous sex life, you’re probably on the higher end of that statistic.
This got me thinking. While it appears that we probably shouldn’t be giving up our gym memberships in the name of sex anytime soon, there are ways we can optimize our sexercise. Here are some ideas:
Sex before breakfast. Having sex in the morning is a great idea for several reasons. A man’s testosterone levels are the highest between 7 and 8 a.m., for one. Also, if you make time for a half-hour morning session, you can roll out of bed and right into your morning workout and you’re already warmed up! Now that’s something worth setting your alarm for.
Flexi-sex. In the average yoga class, you can burn anywhere between 100 and 300 calories per half hour. Incorporating some of your favorite yoga poses into your sex life can definitely up the caloric ante and stretch your hip flexors at the same time. (I’ll let you take creative liberty with this one.)
If you find yourself in the same few positions every time and your most adventurous sex location is the foot of the bed (yawn), it’s definitely time to mix it up.
Core-gasm. Engage your core at all times while having sex. Focusing on your core and isolating the muscles around your pelvic floor will not only strengthen your six-pack, it’ll make your tummy look flatter in the moment.
Cross-train. We’ve already established that sex doesn’t really count as your primary form of exercise, so why not exercise for better sex?
Research shows that women who regularly exercise have more active sex lives, reach orgasm more quickly and are more easily aroused than sedentary women.
Furthermore, in the study, women were more sexually responsive following 20 minutes of vigorous exercise. Among males, short intense exercise is linked with increased testosterone levels, which may stimulate sexual interest and behavior.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/17/health/sex-calorie-burn-upwave/index.html
You might also be interested in this related video:
Here are other surprising health benefits of having sex: https://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/sex-and-health