Better Health Leads to Better Sex

At some point you have probably heard that eating healthy and exercising regularly is good for managing weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar among other things. But what about the correlation between good health and good sex? Well there is a high correlation there as well. Remember, sex is a physically challenging, calorie burning, workout (at least it is if you do it right) and the better condition your body is in, the better your "bedroom activity" will be. Here's why...

A study done on sexual dysfunction found that men and women with poor physical health are more likley to experience sexual dysfunction than their healthy counterparts. The study also found the women (43%) are more likely than men (31%) to experience sexual dysfunction. These examples of sexual dysfunction may have to do with one's perception of their own attractiveness. In another study on sexual desirability, it was found that physically fit men and women who exercised at least 3 times per week perceived their desirability to be greater than average. This means before you even begin the "bedroom activity" your brain is telling you whether you are hot or not. But let's say you do get things going, how does being physically fit come into play then? Well let's start with a thing called VO2 Max which is basically your ability to perform a sustained exercise. Well, regular exercise improves your VO2 max. Do you see where I am going with this? If not, I will just say it; YOUR VO2 MAX MAY DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT SEX IS A MARATHON OR A SPRINT; guys, that one was for you. Staying with the men let's talk Erectile Dysfunction (ED). ED, as you probably know, is a man's inability to create or sustain an erection. But what causes ED? You are all probably saying old age right? Well not necessarily.

It may surprise you that the risk factors for ED or similar to those of both heart attack and stroke. Hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes, an low testosterone are all common causes of ED (1). This is because a good erection means you have adequate levels of testosterone and good blood flow. A good way to reduce your risk for heart attack, stroke, and ED is, you guessed it, a healthy diet and exercise. But good sex is not all about men being physically fit. A women's fitness is just as important, but for different reasons. We have already touched on how being healthy plays into how sexy you perceive yourself so I won't spend any more time there. I'll just say that's a biggie for ladies in the bedroom. More importantly though, a woman having a positive sexual experience is about the right chemicals being delivered to the right area at the right time. Fit women are much more able to have adequate chemical flow when it’s needed due to the fact that their fit lifestyle promotes healthy circulation.

Some other little nuggets on this physically fit/good sex correlation include flexibility, increased energy, and oxytocin. I will let you mind wonder as to how flexibility can make sex better, but with energy it’s obvious, more energy means, well, more energy, and that extra energy can prove beneficial in the bedroom. Lastly, healthy diets including vitamin c have shown to stimulate oxytocin production (2) and oxytocin plays a role in sexual arousal.

So exercise and eat healthy, your sex life may depend on it.