No, that's not me asking; rather, it's what
this article seems to be suggesting, no?
ARE YOU FEELING FIT?
8 August 2006
GIVE YOUR SEX LIFE A MASSIVE BOOST BY IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE. EVERYTHING FROM STAMINA TO FLEXIBILITY AND CONFIDENCE WILL GET BETTER. SO GET DOWN TO THAT GYM AND FEEL ALL THE BENEFITS IN THE BEDROOM
By Fiona Russell
ARE you fed up with the health experts telling you to exercise? If you hear another word about looking after your heart or losing weight, are you likely to scream?
Well, here's an incentive you won't want to ignore: fit people have better sex.
If you want to spice up your love life, the advice is to start a new exercise programme.
You don't have to be a full-on athlete to feel the benefits. A brisk walk every day, three 20-minute jogging outings a week or a few sessions in the swimming pool could be all it takes to improve your sex life.
And for extra excitement, try a course of yoga or Pilates.
Fitter people are likely to have increased stamina, more flexibility and better body image. This means a sporty person will be more confident and adventurous while making love - and they'll be able to last longer.
New research also shows that exercise boosts your love life in other ways.
Working up a sweat and improving your cardiovascular system will help to pump the blood around your body, which will make you feel more responsive to having sex, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Improved circulation is great, too, for keeping both men and women aroused during lovemaking.
Meanwhile a report in the Journal of Sex Research found that because exercise boosts your mood and acts as a great stress-buster, it can improve self-esteem and, you guessed it, lead to better sex.
The chances are you'll make love more often too.
Arecent study in the US found that women aged 20 to 45 who took regular exercise not only had better sex, but they got between the sheets more often.
Flexibility is also linked to more fun in the bedroom. Ali Campbell, a celebrity fitness and lifestyle coach, says: "People who do yoga or Pilates are likely to have a better range of movements - making it easier to get into those more awkward positions.
"Doing core strength exercises is a good idea too. Workouts, such as using a Swiss ball in the gym, will help to enhance the muscles around your stomach and back. This will obviously make it easier to hold on to sex positions for longer."
And ladies, don't forget your pelvic floor exercises. If you've not paid attention to your pelvic muscles since the birth of your last child, then it's time to focus on this area. According to the experts, tighter pelvic floor muscles lead to longer arousal and better orgasms.
Women have also been led to believe that the menopause goes hand-in-hand with reduced libido. But a study in America at Penn State University claims women who find their sexual desire fading as they get older may not be the victims of hormonal changes, but may be reacting instead to feeling depressed about their body image.
The researchers believe that if women stay fitter as they get older, they will continue to have a good sex life because they'll be more positive about how they look.
Guys, too, should concentrate on their cardiovascular fitness for improved blood flow - and, therefore, a better performance in the bedroom.
Being overweight will have a major impact on your sex life, with a study by the Duke University Medical Centre showing that obese people are 25 times more likely to complain of sexual problems and reduced desirability.
Men would be wise to cut back on high-fat foods, smoking and alcohol, which, in combination, can lead to a poorer sex drive and ability.
But men shouldn't overdo it. It doesn't follow that the more you exercise the greater the benefits will be between the sheets. In fact, excessive exercise can lead to reduced desire.
Women aren't keen on men who are over-confident in bed, either. Guys who appear to fancy themselves too much can be a major turn-off psychologically for women.
Ali, who works out of the Visage Lifestyle Clinic in Glasgow, says: "It really doesn't take that much to improve your love life through exercise. A little and often is the advice, like walking 20 minutes to work every day.
"Just think about it. If you're toned and fit, you're more likely to feel good about your body. And the more confident you are about how you look the happier you'll be stripping off with someone else and making love."
Ali's other tip is that practice makes perfect. "Don't forget that you need to play the sport to see how you're progressing.
"Sex offers a good physical workout in itself and the more you practise the better it should become."
'Think about it. If you are toned and fit, you are more likely to feel good about your body'
TONE UP AND TUNE INTO A BETTER SEX LIFE
THE GYM BUNNY
JILL, 40, is a marketing executive from Glasgow. She keeps fit with three or four sessions at the gym each week, including running on the treadmill, working out on the rowing machine, lifting light weights, plus occasional aerobics sessions.
She said: "I definitely feel like I have better sex the fitter I am. It's the stamina I notice the most, which does help in bed.
"I also feel better about my body when I'm more toned. The higher my self-esteem the more sexy I feel and the more I want to have sex."
THE WALKER
SOPHIE, 50, is a nursing manager from London. She keeps fit doing long walks at the weekend, and especially on holidays.
She said: "The healthier I feel the better my sex life is. My partner and I went on a two-week walking holiday abroad last year and had much more sex. We were eating a better diet, swimming and walking every day and we felt much more relaxed.
"We found ourselves wanting to make love at lot more often during that fortnight than any other time."
BEST EXERCISE
WALK or run at least three times a week for 20 minutes or more. Up your heart rate but don't overdo it to start with - you should be able to say five words without struggling for breath. This improves cardiovascular fitness, muscle tone and stamina.
YOGA
YOGA or Pilates sessions are the way to go if you want to improve your flexibility, muscle tone and stamina. Try a beginner's course to learn the moves before practising daily in your own home.
CYCLE
CYCLE a few times a week for at least half an hour. Cycling is good for leg and bum muscles, cardiovascular fitness and stamina.
CORE STRENGTH
CORE strength exercises will help improve your muscle tone around the middle of your body. Try balancing and sitting still on a Swiss (or gym) ball to start with. Hold this position while watching the TV.
Move on to balancing on the ball in a sitting position while lifting a foot from the ground. Progress to kneeling on the ball. Experts can stand on the ball without falling off! These exercises will lead to stronger stomach and back muscles - and enhanced ability during sex.
SWIMMING
SWIMMING is great for all-over body tone and general fitness. Try to fit in two to three steady swims of about 40 minutes each. Doing the crawl instead of the breaststroke every so often will improve the cardio system.
THE PLANK
LIE on your front on the floor. Tuck you arms under your shoulders with your forearms flat on the floor. Tighten you stomach and back muscles, curl your toes under and lift your straight body up. Take the weight on your forearms and toes.
Keep you body flat and straight, like a plank of wood. Look down and keep breathing. Hold for 20 minutes to start with then repeat. Build up to a minute.
This is fantastic for strengthening core stability muscles.
SEX
SEX is a great workout, burning calories and helping to tone the body. The more you do it, and for longer, the greater the benefits.
Yes, exercise is a good thing, but I'm not sure I agree with the implications that more frequent sex, longer sex sessions, or sex in strange contortionist positions are synonymous with "better sex."
Though I'm totally in love with the last sentence suggesting that sex is good exercise. :wink:
