Three ways exercising can improve your sex life
The physical benefits of exercise are well-documented, from boosting heart health to improving lung function. There are plenty of mental health benefits too, as studies have shown exercise can help improve mood, as well as alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
There’s another area in life where exercise can have a significant impact: your sex life. But best-selling novelist Dame Jilly Cooper seems to think exercising - jogging, in particular - is detrimental to what happens in the bedroom.
In a new BBC interview, the Rivals author said people jog more than they did in the 1980s, which is when the novel is set. "Everybody jogs. They get up in the morning, they jog all around the countryside for hours," she said. "They do exercises. That’s what they do now."
Cooper claimed that, because of so much vigorous exercise, people "don’t have sex any more". "They are far too tired to have sex now. Jogging is bad for people’s love lives. Ruinous."
But the romance writer’s opinions about exercise and sex are not backed by science - in fact, studies say the opposite. Physical activity outside the bedroom can actually improve things between the sheets, scientists say.
From sex hormones to increased circulation and stamina, these are three main ways working out could transform your sex life for the better.
1. Exercise boosts sex hormones
Studies have shown that exercise can help balance the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone in women, and increase testosterone levels in men.
These are all hormones that play a typical role in arousal and sexual development. For some people, a hormone imbalance - which can be caused by a number of things, including stress and health conditions - can lead to a loss of libido and sexual function.
A Harvard study showed that when women do moderate to vigorous aerobic activity, it can help keep oestrogen and progesterone levels in check. Taking up resistance training can also boost testosterone in women temporarily, which may lead to increased libido.
In men, carrying out vigorous exercises can help boost testosterone production. However, there is one respect in which Cooper may be right - doing too much exercise can lower a man’s libido, according to a 2017 study.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that men who exercised with high intensity reached a “tipping point”, after which they became too tired or not interested in sex.
2. Exercise boosts blood circulation
Having a healthy blood circulation system can help men achieve and maintain erections. In women, increased blood flow to the vagina during arousal leads to lubrication and excitement.
Physical activity is essential to increase blood flow and circulation in the body, so the phrase “get your blood pumping” is all the more important.
3. Exercise boosts stamina
While we’ve established that Cooper is correct about what happens when you exercise too much, you can also become too tired or have a low sex drive if you don’t exercise enough.
Studies show that regular exercise can help improve energy levels. According to Loughborough University, it can also increase stamina, muscle mass and flexibility, which are "useful attributes for sexual stamina, particularly, in prolonged sessions of acrobatic passion".
Read more about sex and relationships:
What To Do If You And Your Partner Have Different Libidos (HuffPost UK, 2-min read)
Women's sexual desire often goes undiscussed – yet it's one of their most common health concerns (The Conversation, 4-min read)
“I had a really high sex drive during my pregnancy like Molly Mae – it can be even better than usual” (SWNS, 4-min read)
