Sex gets your blood pumping. Sex makes you sweat. Sex makes you out of breath. Going to the gym does all that too. Does that mean sex counts as exercise?
Whether you're looking to lose weight or just change things up in the gym or at home, a one-on-one workout might be a great way to keep your fitness goals and motivation... in theory.
Between 2012 and 2013, 21 Canadian couples were recruited to help study authors from the Université du Québec à Montréal determine the calorie expenditure of sexy time fitness. The couples were first told to hit the treadmill for an endurance test. They were then given homework: have sex at least one time a week for a month. A SenseWear armband was used to determine energy output of both activities.
Depending on how you look at it, the study results are exciting or not-so-exciting news: Men burn about four calories per minute of sexual activity and women burn about three per minute. If you can get it on with "moderate intensity" for 25 minutes, you can burn 75 to 100 calories just doing the deed! The reality (and a bit of a bummer) is that most bedroom romps last two to four minutes.
Sex still burns more calories than watching TV, and it (at least should be) more, uh, stimulating than flipping channels. Plus, sex has other perks (besides the obvious), like lowering blood pressure, blocking pain, boosting immunity, preventing prostate cancer and improving bladder control in women. (Also, ladies, you can get a great butt workout just from missionary!)
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, imagine what an orgasm could do! But, if you want to target all your muscle groups, look and feel hot during your next session and reap all the benefits cardio and strength training have to offer, don't skip the gym entirely.
"Sex should not replace regular exercise," study author Antony D. Karelis said. "Rather, sex and exercise should both be incorporated into your routine on a regular basis. Studies show that each improves health, so the combination of the two leads to a greater quality of life."
And don't forget that sex should be fun! Counting reps or concentrating on your core could really zap the enjoyment out of it. That's the stuff you should save for your self-defense class.
