The Workout-Sex Connection

The benefits of regular exercise... blah, blah, blah. Lower blood pressure, weight loss and diabetes control may all accrue from exercise, but many folks barely stifle yawns when you mention it. But drop just a hint about how regular workouts can improve life in the bedroom, and you've got the attention of even the most stubborn couch potatoes.

So, is it true? If you're in good physical shape from months or years of regular workouts, does it really mean you'll have better sex?

We can't point to any particular scientific study that tracked gym visits and nights of romance. But the link between exercise and sex makes perfect sense.

Fitness has three primary components: endurance, strength and flexibility. In other words, if you are in shape, you have more aerobic endurance, muscular strength and overall flexibility all of which are beneficial during sex. Not to mention that, if you're in shape, you'll reduce your risk of injury during sex, such as pulling a muscle.

On the other hand, out-of-shape people are often less motivated to have sex. They tend to tire more easily, and have lower sex drives and less stamina than folks who work out.

Physical activity reduces stress, and when you're less stressed, you can focus much more on improving your sex life. Study after study shows that the physically fit are less likely to let stress bother them. If you rarely feel stressed out, it follows that you'll rarely be too cranky for sex.

Exercise can also have profound effects on your mind, improving your feeling of well-being. And when you're feeling happy, you're feeling sexy. Your optimistic outlook will surely translate into bedroom satisfaction.

Breath control is an important part of good sex. And that too, is built up by regular exercise. More generally, the discipline of an exercise routine helps you feel in control of your life both the passionate peaks and the daily grind.

To reap all these benefits, of course, you've got to be a consistent exerciser. So pick an activity that you enjoy and can do on a regular basis. Then stick with it. As you begin to see the results of your fitness efforts, you'll start to feel good about yourself. Exercise not only makes the body more fit for sex, but it also stimulates the mind and makes you feel sexier.
And although some of you may not want to hear it, regular exercise also helps prevent heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. Sorry about that.

Love and Marriage

"One of the most consistent observations in health research is that married people enjoy better health than those of other marital statuses," reports the Saturday Evening Post (January/February, 1990), adding that singles "suffer much higher rates of disease, morbidity, disability, mental neuroses and mortality."

• 40 percent of married people report they have sex twice a week or more, compared to 24 percent of singles and marrieds also report they enjoy their sex more!
• 88 percent of married people report enjoying great sexual pleasure.
• 85 percent of married people enjoy great emotional pleasure.
• Nearly 74 percent of married men and 85 percent of married women have been faithful to their spouses, according to a survey of 210,000 Dear Abby readers.

Source: US News & World Report, Oct. 17, 1994; National Opinion Research Center 1989-91 survey.