Sex is physical and it stands to reason that extended periods of sex can replace an exercise routine. If sex is vigorous, can it burn the number of calories as a regular workout? The experts agree that sex is definitely a form of exercise, but whether or not to replace exercise with sex is an idea many people have thought about.
How Many Calories Are Burned During Sex?
First of all, sex burns about 4 calories per minute. For an hour-long session of sex, that equals 240 calories burned.
Depending on your weight, that is more than amount of calories burned during one hour of walking. Of course, we all know that sex generally does not last for one hour. One study showed that the average session of sex was just six minutes. That would equal only about 24 calories burned. But the longer and more physically intense your sex is, the more calories will be burned.
What Are the Benefits of Sex as Exercise?
WebMD lists a variety of health benefits of sex. Sex lowers blood pressure and floods your body with chemicals that make the body and mind feel good. It also lowers your risk of heart disease and improves bladder control in women.
Other health benefits of sex include stress-relief and pain-relief. Sex is also helpful for getting a good night’s sleep. For men, it lowers the chance of prostrate cancer.
How Often Should You Have Sex for It to Match Exercise Benefits?
The Centers for Disease Control recommends two and a half hours per week of moderate intense exercise. This amount of sex is probably not the amount that the average person has. One study shows that couples in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, have sex two or three times a week.
In order for you to be able to actually replace exercise with sex, you would have to have that amount of physically intense sex. However, there are also other ways to make regular sex a part of your exercise routine.
One expert suggests having sex in the morning as an exercise warm-up to your regular routine. The reason this is a good idea is that men’s testosterone is highest in the morning. If your morning exercise routine needs an exciting warm-up, this is a great start.
Another idea is to use yoga poses in your sex session. Holding your core muscles is one of the benefits of yoga, and you can incorporate this while you are having sex. Another idea is to use the actual poses of yoga during sex itself. A yoga session will generally burn between 100-300 calories, so this is a creative way to combine the two.
Every woman should be getting some form of moderate exercise a few times a week or more. If you and your partner are the lucky ones having long, vigorous sex, this can definitely count as part of your exercise routine. Have fun and remember to drink plenty of water!
