3 Lifestyle Habits That Can Boost Your Sex Drive
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February 13, 2010For this Valentine’s Day weekend, some advice for our married readers from my friends at Health.com on how you can not only boost your sex drive, but become more highly healthy at the same time:
1. Get plenty of exercise
If you want to make your marriage a bit more “hot-blooded,” then improve your circulation.
Physical fitness can increase blood flow, which in theory can make sex more pleasurable since sexual arousal for both men and women involves increased blood flow to the genital area. And that can increase desire itself—if it feels great, you tend to want to do it more.
Exercise boosts endorphins, which lift your mood, and it can increase your energy. Not to mention that being toned makes some people feel sexier.
2. Eat a healthy diet
Arteries clogged with saturated fat don’t bring as much blood to the genital area for arousal purposes. Hence the correlation between heart disease, blood vessel disease, and erectile dysfunction.
But excess weight also messes with your hormones.
“Obesity can shift the balance between estrogen and testosterone,” says Michael Krychman, MD, executive director of the Southern California Center for Sexual Health and Survivorship Medicine in Newport Beach, Calif. And low testosterone can bring down your sex drive.
Nutrition counts too. For example, an iron deficiency can lead to fatigue, which in turn can lead to low libido. (Eat your broccoli!)
3. Manage your stress
“How about a simple vacation? How about communicating with your partner?” suggests Irwin Goldstein, MD, director of San Diego Sexual Medicine and editor in chief of The Journal of Sexual Medicine. “People are overworked and stressed, and they translate their overworked, stressed lives to a lousy sex life.”
You can learn more about becoming happier and more highly healthy by reading my book 10 Essentials of Happy, Healthy People.
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Thanks Dr.
I also love the benefits Strength training, weight training or resistance training, provides for my sex life plus the increases muscle mass and strength. But it’s not just about the muscles, there are some other important benefits to our health as well.
Resistance training is just applying force (pushing or pulling) against a resistance in a way that overloads our muscles thus requiring them to adapt to the new load’s they are expected to cope with. There are many different Types (e.g. Elastic-band workouts, Free weights, machine weights, body weight etc) and many different ways of performing a resistance program. Normally a resistance program will include a number of exercises that either work through the entire body or focus on a different body part each day. The routine usually requires an exercise being performed a number of time (reps) which is then repeated (sets). This recipe changes depending on goals, experience, enjoyment and ability.
The benefits
For years people have assumed that lifting weights or performing resistance training exercises is only for those who are footballers, body builders or for those who just want to get big. That’s starting to change. Bigger muscles is just one of the benefits that may happen with resistance training. It turns out there are a number of benefits when it comes to “applying a little elbow grease” when exercising.
Here are a few:
1. Improved Performance
An increase in muscle mass &/or strength results in better performance of everyday activities such as climbing, walking stairs, carrying objects or playing sports. You become more efficient, with greater reserves meaning less fatigue.
2. Healthier Joints
The nature of a balanced resistance training program requires controlled exercises that promote strong, balanced muscles around a joint. This in turn will aid in reducing the wear and tear of the joint (muscles will actively control the joint during movement), in improved posture, improved balance and reduced likelihood of a fall or injury.
3. Increased lean body mass (muscle)
This not only helps us to look good, but also helps with weight control. Each added kilo of muscle burns more calories even when we are resting, therefore an increase in muscle mass increases your metabolic rate. This means less energy stored meaning less body fat.
4. Increased Bone Strength
Bone strength is also improved with strength training, helping to prevent bone weakening, which occurs as we age and thus the likelihood of bone disorders such as osteopenia and osteoporosis are minimised.
5. Improved blood sugar control
A recent but often under estimated benefit from resistance training is improved transfer and take up of energy by the cell. Resistance training actually helps get energy into the cell which in turn helps reduce the risk developing Type 2 Diabetes or the impact of it if you already have it. Resistance training should be a component of all safe and balanced exercise programs for those finding it difficult to manage their blood sugar*
*Once your GP has determined that resistance training is suitable for particular situation relevant to your health and capabilities
Other added benefits of including resistance training into your exercise routine includes a reduced risk of developing some cancers, improved immune function and elevated mood!