I could go on and on all day about the benefits of exercise.  It promotes good health in so many ways — combatting diseases, improving your mood and sleep, managing your weight, boosting energy levels….but one area that people rarely talk about when it comes to exercise is that dirty word — SEX.  Just another reason to get your bum in gear — exercise can not only improve your general health, it can also VASTLY improve your sex life.

So how exactly does it do this??  According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, doctors at UC San Diego tested 78 healthy but sedentary middle-aged men to document changes in their sex lives when they began to exercise 3-4 times a week.  According to this study “the former couch potatoes reported more reliable sexual functioning, more frequent sexual activity and orgasms, and greater satisfaction”.  A study done by the University of British Columbia found that just 20 minutes of exercise spurred greater sexual response in women participants compared with no exercise at all.

Physically, exercise helps to increase your endurance, aerobic capabilities and muscle strength.  Exercise gets the heart pumping and increases bloodflow to all the organs in your body, including sex organs.  Exercise also helps to release those little happy hormones called endorphins.  Endorphins promote relaxation and reduce performance anxiety, which will definitely help you in the sack.  Another interesting finding, is that in men, exercise promotes weight loss, which is a good thing because obesity has been linked to erectile dysfunction.

Internally, exercise does a lot for your mood and self confidence.  Let’s face it, when we feel that we look great, we’re happier, more confident, and feel…well…plain old sexy.  Exercise, by improving your physical appearance, in turn does amazing things for your confidence levels and body awareness, which by extension, can make your sex life that much better.

And if that doesn’t get you booking it to your gym ASAP…well, I don’t know WHAT will!