Exercise: A Woman’s Guide to Better Sex

Exercise Boosts The Sex Drive

It is a well known fact that exercise is good for the body. However, by measuring the effect of regular exercise on the human sex drive scientists are just beginning to understand the physiological ways in which exercise impacts our overall well-being.

Today, most members of the medical community agree on the fact that individuals who incorporate regular exercise into their daily routine are better able to cope with stress, depression, body image issues, and many other factors that prevent many of us from enjoying a fulfilling sex life.

Historically, scientists have attributed exercise’s positive effect on the human sex drive to a decrease in stress and an increase in self esteem brought on by endorphins (a set of chemical compounds released by the pituitary gland during exercise which give us an overall feeling of well-being, or what is more commonly referred to as an “exercise high”).

However, two recent studies have suggested that factors other than an increase in self esteem and endorphin levels may be responsible for the increase in female sexual arousal during and immediately following exercise.

High Intensity Interval Training Boosts Women’s Sex Drive

A 2008 study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, has concluded that HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts, with a duration of at least 20 minutes and a target heart rate of at least 70, significantly enhance the physiological sexual arousal of women (EX: genital arousal). Additionally, a 2007 study, also published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, linked increased body awareness in women to increased sexual arousal. The researchers concluded that, “Exercise could feasibly increase body awareness via increased bodily sensations (EX: increased heartbeat and muscle tension).”

In order to truly understand the significance of this research we need to also take into account the fact that for women the desire to make love is a multidimensional phenomenon.

1. Women have a psychological need to feel desirable. Women who workout on a regular basis are more likely to have a positive body image. They are also more likely to be aware of their bodies’ response to stimuli, as mentioned in the 2007 study.
2. Women have an emotional need to feel “in the mood”. Factors such as stress, negative body image, and depression prevent women from “getting in the mood”. However, research has proven that women who exercise regularly have lower levels of stress, and a more positive body image. Furthermore, active women have higher levels of endorphins. These endorphins help women combat depression by giving them an increased feeling of pleasure which in turn puts them “in the mood”.
3. Women have a physical need to enjoy sex. Understandably, women who are physically unable to enjoy sex have a lower sex drive. By increasing the physiological arousal of women, exercise helps women enjoy sex more and thus want to engage in it more often.

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