Physical activity has a broad range of benefits for male sexual health, researchers have found. Photo / Getty Images
Physical activity has a broad range of benefits for male sexual health, researchers have found. Photo / Getty Images
Of all the many reasons we are given about why we should undertake regular short bursts of exercise, increased arousal doesn’t usually feature all that high up on the list.
Until now, that is. High-intensity workouts were already known to help improve your mood and promote weight loss and heart health, but now they have been found to have an impact on our libidos too.
German researchers have discovered that men who do just three minutes of strength work will be far more responsive to sexual stimuli afterwards.
A small amount of exertion, they say, is enough to jump-start the sympathetic nervous system, which sees the heart rate rise, blood pressure increase and pupils dilate.
Experts from the University of Siegen and the University of Trier found that men who were asked to exert energy over a period of three minutes then experienced a faster heart rate and pupil dilation when shown sexual images compared to men who expended very little energy.
The authors say it suggests there is “strong evidence” that acute stress exposure in men leads to the “enhancement of sexual processing”, or rather: “arousability”.
German researchers have discovered that men who do just three minutes of strength work will be far more responsive to sexual stimuli afterwards. Photo / 123RF
So how does it work? Researchers say a short burst of exercise will give you an elevated heart rate and quicken your breathing without wearing you out – just the kind of heightened physical response you experience when aroused, which could lead to a greater than usual reaction to sexual stimuli.
“Improvements in physiological sexual arousal following acute exercise may be driven by increases in sympathetic nervous system activity,” says Prof Lee Smith, professor of public health at Anglia Ruskin University.
Increasingly, physical activity is thought to have a broad range of benefits for male sexual health, says Prof Smith. He recently published a study which found that small amounts of exercise are an effective therapeutic intervention in treating premature ejaculation.
Bursts of activity could, he says, be “as effective as pharmacological therapy for certain aspects of male sexual dysfunction”. He cites a study which found that moderate running for 30 minutes, five days per week, was “just as effective in reducing premature ejaculation as dapoxetine [a drug used to treat premature ejaculation]”.
There are also “endocrine factors” which are likely to have a short-term impact on mood and therefore libido, says Prof Smith, as exercise helps to release feel-good hormones such as oxytocin and dopamine.
Coupled with the endorphins you get from even a small amount of exercise, you’re likely to find yourself in an improved “state of mindfulness". Photo / iStock
Coupled with the endorphins you get from even a small amount of exercise, you’re likely to find yourself in an improved “state of mindfulness,” says Dr Ali Novitsky, founder of Exercising Intimacy, a programme which encourages connection between partners via exercise and sex.
“We’re out of our head and into our body. And that’s absolutely going to promote wanting to be more connected intimately.”
If kept up, says Dr Novitsky, over time men could even see an increase in testosterone levels which will be a “driver” for their libido. Meanwhile, lower levels of testosterone, says Prof Smith “may be linked to low libido and other male sexual dysfunctions”.
Exercise also has a psychological impact which is only going to help you to become aroused, says Dr Novitsky. You are simply going to be “more likely to want to engage in other feel-good activities when you feel good,” she says.
“Exercise is grounding and can rev up the physical body and relax the mind all at the same time.”
Dr Novitsky recommends combining your burst of exercise with another mindful practice. “Something that feels good – that will enhance arousal more.”
So if just three minutes of movement are standing in between you and a better sex life, how should you spend them?
Dr Novitsky says exercises that will make your heart rate rise and fall are the key, so try power-walking for 30 seconds, then walk normally for 30 seconds and repeat. In three minutes you should see a difference in your energy levels.
Exercises that will see your heart rate rise and fall are the key, so try power-walking for 30 seconds, then walk normally for 30 seconds and repeat. Photo / 123RF
Get the skipping rope out
Set the timer for three minutes and pretend you’re using a skipping rope (you don’t need an actual rope unless you happen to have one). “For 20 seconds pretend you’re jumping rope, then do 20 seconds of push-ups either on your knees or your toes, and then for the other 20 seconds you’re doing non-weighted air squats, just a little squatting movement.” Repeat twice and you’ll find you’ve got the blood flowing in the shortest possible time.
“You’re bumping all the blood with those little hops and jumps,” says Dr Novitsky. “If you need low impact you can just bring your knees to your chest in a marching motion. The push-ups activate the upper body so you’re going to get some nice blood flow through there. And then the squats – even if it’s just an inch, just a little activation – will re-elevate your heart rate.”
Research suggests the kind of heightened physical response you experience when aroused mirrors that of exercise. Photo / Getty Images
It’s tempting to do mat work, like sit-ups, but keep things upright if you can, says Dr Novitsky.
“If you’re going to lie on the ground and do crunches, that won’t be as effective because you’re concentrating the blood flow in a small area.”
Sit against a wall
Put your back flat against a wall, drop down to a squat, then hold it for 30 seconds. “Then stand up and march on the spot for 30 seconds, hold that wall-squat again for 30 seconds, march on the spot, and repeat.”
