Sex, better form of exercise than jogging –Study

Sex is often seen as pleasurable to both men and women.

Experts have always claimed a lot of energy goes into sexual activities, thus making sex a form 0f exercise.

A new study has however discovered that lots of calories could be burnt via sex, thus making it a better form of exercise than jogging or running.

Researchers have found out that the energy expended during sex, when compared to running, could get the hearts to pump and muscles to crank enough to qualify as a moderate form of exercise.

According to them, a 25-minute session of sex, burns more calories, which is a unit of energy, than having a walk.

A study by Anthony Karelis, a professor of Exercise Science at the University of Quebec, Canada, and his colleagues, which looked at how much energy is actually exerted during sex and compared it with other forms of body exercise, showed that having sex is better than working out or jogging.

The research further showed that one hour of sex (based on the premise that sex burns at least 100 calories per session), could equal many other strenuous activities that could knock anyone out. The goal of the choice of the comparative exercise was to use an exercise that could be regularly practised by the general population.

The study, among others, further revealed that, beyond the pleasure and excitement, sexual activities could have an important influence on overall health and quality of life when compared to other activities like jogging, running or walking.

In the study, the researchers recruited 21 healthy, active, heterosexual couples aged between 18 and 35 to jog on treadmills at about 65 per cent of their maximum heart rates for 30 minutes while wearing lightweight armband monitors that measure energy expenditure in calories.

Next, the couples were told to have sex, including foreplay, once a week for a month while wearing the same armbands to track their calories and intensity during the sexual activity. The duration of the sex varied, but the average session across all couples for the month was about 25 minutes.

The couples were instructed to perform their usual sexual activities and not use any drug, alcohol or medication for sexual or erectile dysfunction, before the sexual activity. The study found that, on average, the men burnt 9.2 calories per minute while jogging, while they burnt 4.2 calories per minute during sex. In other words, about 230 calories were used up for a 25-minute jog, while 105 calories were used up for the same 25-minute session of sex. And for the women, they burnt 7.1 calories per minute while jogging and 3.1 calories per minute during sex.

Even though jogging for about half an hour taxed everyone’s body more than having sex, 98 per cent of the participants in the study reported that sex felt more fun than jogging and that they enjoyed sex as an exercise than jogging. Only five per cent of all participants reported that sexual activity was more strenuous when compared to the 30-minute treadmill exercise.

Furthermore, the study showed that having sex burns more calories of energy than walking as a form of exercise and even when some men have brief sex for few minutes, they use more energy than they do while walking fast up and down.

Whereas, jogging, by comparison, is more strenuous, some men, according to the activity monitor on their hands, used more energy for brief periods during sex than they did during jogging.

It can then be deduced that an hour of romance and sex under the sheets burns many calories than walking and almost as many calories as a 30-minute jog. While men use up 120 calories of energy during half an hour of sex, women use up 90 calories. This is expected anyway since it is believed the men do most of the ‘work’ during sex.

As part of the study, couples were asked to fill out questionnaires about how each session of jogging and love making made them feel physically and psychologically. When the researchers analysed all the results, Karelis said it was clear that sex qualified as “moderate exercise.”

The seven-point questionnaire assessed issues after the sexual activity to include how tired they were, how much efforts they put in and how much they enjoyed either the sex or jogging.

Karelis said, “The participants burned enough calories and reached high enough intensities for sex to be considered ‘moderate intensity’ and legitimate form of exercise, the equivalent of walking briskly.

“However, sex is not always an exercise; sometimes it is not hot, heavy and does not always last long, so you can’t count every quickie as a moderate workout, but sex can be considered, at times, as a significant exercise, worth encouraging in people who otherwise hesitate to work out.

“Sexual activity is an important and relevant activity to human life and appears to impact on the mental, physical and social health as well as the quality of life of the individual.”

Notably, the participants were young people, and understandably, many old people may not have the requisite strength for a good time in bed, however, the researchers advised that sex should not replace regular exercise, rather, they should both be incorporated into one’s routine on a regular basis. Studies show that each improves health, so the combination of the two leads to a greater quality of life.

It was also observed that couples could vary sexy moves or styles, such that all their body parts would be involved and exercised in the love-making process. A report on consumerhealthdigest.com shows that exploring many sex styles and being enthusiastic will help women especially.

Apart from sex, jogging, running and walking, experts advise that people can also reduce calorie levels by dieting, which involves examining carefully and looking critically at what they eat.

A psychologist, Miss Oladele Olaitan, said even though sex is a form of exercise, it is different from jogging. She, however, said that both activities involve burning some calories.

“You burn calories in the process of having sex or jogging. But whether you exert more energy while doing either of them depends on individuals because of our unique composition and the unique activities that are involved in the processes of either having sex or jogging, therefore, a generalisation cannot be reached,” she added.

A medical practitioner, Dr. Rotimi Adesanya, said sex tends to be a moderate form of exercise because it involves the emotions, mind and the brain, adding that once the brain is involved in any activity, more energy would be consumed than some physical activities.

He explained that the hormones released during exercise include prolactin, which helps the heart to pump blood to other parts of the body well, while prolactin hormone is released during sex which helps mental capacity and accuracy, also responsible for the alertness and synergy of the mind, body and soul.

A Physiologist, Dr. Clement Nku, said he would not really say that sex is be a better form of exercise, saying he would advise that physical exercise is most preferable, whether mild, moderate or severe, depending on the preference of individuals.

He added that the calories burnt depend on the kind of exercise the person engage in. “Hormones are also secreted during those forms of exercise, be it physical or sexual intercourse, but I will never advise somebody to go for sex as a form of exercise. The physical form of exercise is better,” he said.

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