{It\u2019s not just the name of that risqu\u00e9 Kylie Minogue song. Science backs the idea of the bedroom workout being good for your health, so add some raunch to your fitness routine.}<\/p>\n
Ever felt guilty for ditching the gym for a night of nooky with your other half? You shouldn\u2019t. For years, experts have examined the act of sex, delving into people\u2019s minds and bedrooms in a bid to understand all the ins and outs – pardon the pun – of humankind\u2019s most basic desire. <\/p>\n
Much has been assumed, imagined and proven wrong about the subject. But one recent study has shown that at least one \u201cmyth\u201d about sex is true \u2013 it really does count as a legitimate form of exercise.<\/p>\n
Of course, the idea of sex being good for you isn\u2019t new. As far back as the 1800s, a participant in a survey by sex scholar and Stanford University professor Dr Clelia Duel Mosher wrote \u201ca rational use of [sex] tends to keep people healthier\u201d. Read on to find out how it can benefit your body and mind.<\/p>\n
{{The best kind of workout}}<\/p>\n
Researchers at the University of Quebec in Canada took 21 young heterosexual couples and monitored their vitals during a 30-minute treadmill run. Next, they kitted them out with armbands and sent them home with the instructions to have sex at least once a week for the following month. <\/p>\n
The armbands recorded data such as calories burned and allowed the researchers to compare the results with those collected from the treadmill test. They found that during a session of moderate-intensity sex (which includes foreplay and doesn\u2019t have to involve swinging from the rafters), men burnt 17.5 kilojoules per minute and women burnt about 13kJ. That\u2019s on a par with activities such as hatha yoga, dancing and gymnastics (each 17kJ per minute) and brisk walking (19kJ per minute). <\/p>\n
The 30-minute jogging session, in comparison, saw the men burn 38kJ per minute and the women burn almost 30kJ. So, yes \u2013 jogging will certainly help you get fitter, but we\u2019re pretty sure it will be a lot less fun. Plus, when you compare sex with other everyday activities such as watching TV (3kJ per minute), cooking (10kJ per minute) and reading (5kJ per minute), it looks more like a workout worthy of an Olympic sport \u2013 which it could be if you were enthusiastic enough for long enough.<\/p>\n
{{Flu fighter}}<\/p>\n
When it comes to beating colds and flu, you should step away from the medicine and into your lover\u2019s arms. According to a study from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, people who have sex a couple of times a week have higher levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA), an antibody that fights bugs, than those who indulge less frequently. But don\u2019t get too carried away \u2013 it also showed those who had sex more than twice a week had lower IgA levels.<\/p>\n
{{Heart protector}}<\/p>\n
A study at Queens University in Belfast found that having sex three times a week could halve the risk of heart attack. Likewise, a New England Research Institute study showed that men who have sex regularly are up to 45 per cent less likely to suffer serious heart conditions than the once-a-month (or less) group.<\/p>\n
{{Anti-ager}}<\/p>\n
Forget the elixir of life. The secret to longevity could simply be a regular, enjoyable sex life. A 25-year study from Duke University in North Carolina showed that the more often men had sex, the longer they lived, while women who enjoyed their sex life lived seven to eight years longer than those who didn\u2019t. <\/p>\n
The same goes for looking youthful, with a 10-year study from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland revealing those age-defying properties worked in regards to appearance, too \u2013 it found that couples who had sex three times a week or more looked up to 10 years younger than those who got it on twice a week. So maybe it should be \u201cslip, slop, slap and tickle\u201d from now on.<\/p>\n
{{Headache helper}}<\/p>\n
The old excuse of \u201cNot tonight dear, I have a headache\u201d doesn\u2019t wash any more thanks to findings from several studies. Last year, researchers at the University of M\u00fcnster in Germany found that up to one-third of migraine sufferers said having sex relieved their symptoms. Meanwhile, a study from the Southern Illinois University Headache Clinic revealed that almost half the female participants experienced complete relief from symptoms when they had an orgasm.<\/p>\n
{{Stress buster}}<\/p>\n
Have a stressful situation on your hands? Have sex. A study from the University of the West of Scotland found that having sex at least once in two weeks helped participants deal with anxiety and recover from stressful situations more quickly, with their blood pressure returning to normal faster than those who hadn\u2019t had sex. But this didn\u2019t seem to be the case with masturbation, which researchers believe is because the soothing effects come from your partner\u2019s touch reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol.<\/p>\n
Websites<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
{It\u2019s not just the name of that risqu\u00e9 Kylie Minogue song. Science backs the idea of the bedroom workout being good for your health, so add some raunch to your fitness routine.} Ever felt guilty for ditching the gym for a night of nooky with your other half? You shouldn\u2019t. For years, experts have examined […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000055311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[75],"byline":[334],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-17702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-homenews","byline-igihe-reporter"],"bylines":[{"id":334,"name":"IGIHE Reporter","slug":"igihe-reporter","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":334,"name":"IGIHE Reporter","slug":"igihe-reporter","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":{"id":2000055311,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton17702.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton17702.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton17702.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton17702.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton17702.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/arton17702.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000055311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17702"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=17702"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=17702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}