Exercises with Sex Appeal: By Selenia Scott

Sex is one of the main reasons why men and women care about exercising at all. We may tell ourselves it is to be “healthy” and while that may ring true at the end of the day exercise improves our sex lives.

Exercise makes you feel sexier. Being more comfortable with your body leads to better and more relaxed sex. It improves sexual performance and endurance. It helps you have orgasms. In fact, studies have shown that women who frequently exercise become aroused more quickly and are able to reach an orgasm faster and more intensely. It adds options. Sex itself is an intense physical activity requiring strength and endurance. As you exercise, both your strength and endurance will increase, opening the possibility for more varied sexual positions that require greater physical control and flexibility."    

Here are some common exercises with a sensual twist that will not only burn calories but also mentally put you in the mood to practice them with a partner!

The large muscles of the thighs are often used during sex and can get fatigued quickly since they are such a large muscle group. 

Our solution: The Grind!

·         Begin standing with your feet spread a little wider than shoulder-width apart, begin to ‘sit’ as if in a chair, also known as squatting. Bring your hands to your knees to stabilize your squat while pushing the knees out to the corners of the room. Hold there and make slow methodical oval circles with your hips. This is ‘The Grind’. Imagine your pelvis drawing a big ‘O’ on the floor. Repeat the circle in both directions with equal time and intensity. Try doing this for 20-25 reps in each direction.

Modifications: Use an actual chair for support. You can stand in front of it for measuring your squat and not allowing your butt to touch. Or you can also stand behind the chair for balance if stabilizing at the knees doesn’t feel strong. Lift through the heels onto the toes for a greater challenge, either alternating heels or lifting both at the same time.

·         Want a move that will strengthen the muscles you use most during intercourse? Try the pelvic tilt. Pelvic tilts give you a bonus of core strength and strengthening the lower back. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Raise your pelvic region in a straight line like a bridge. Hold your abdominals in while you tighten your glutes and push your inner thighs toward each other. Slowly lower to the floor and repeat, 20 to 25 reps, if possible. And if you want more of a challenge allow your hips to roll up and down rhythmically like a wave rolls through the ocean.

         Another move that can improve your sexual enjoyment is the Yoga pose called the Bridge. It is a variation of the pelvic tilt that helps enhance a woman's sexual experience because it increases her strength and endurance in those muscles which are used to create resistance during a partners thrusting, thereby increasing the intensity of the thrust. Start out lying flat on your back with your hands by your side.  Bend your knees and bring your heels towards your hips, placing you feet flat on the floor. Your finger tips should brush your heels.  Raise your hips off the floor keeping your feet, arms, shoulders and head resting on the floor.  This is called a bridge. If it feels good, you can lift your heels off the floor and balance on your toes starting to move your hips in big slow circles opening up the full range of motion of your pelvis. Again, imagine your pelvis drawing a big ‘O’ across the room. Circle in both directions with equal time and intensity 10 to 15 reps, if possible. And if you feel adventurous allow your hands to travel along your sides, up your body, all the way until the arms are in full extension above your head and then travel them back down over your face, down your curves nice and slow and repeat.

         Limberness goes hand in hand with great sex— certain stretches will prepare you for agility between the sheets. One of our favorites is called the happy baby pose. This will relax the back and open up the hip flexors. Begin laying on your back and bring your knees into your chest. Using your hands grasp the outside of each foot with your hands, allowing the knees to drop down toward the floor. Align your ankles with your knees so that the shins are perpendicular to the floor. Apply downward pressure with your hands to encourage deeper opening. You can allow the tailbone to curl up off the floor slightly to decompress the lower back. Hold the pose for three to five minutes. If you want more of a challenge work on straightening the knees until you are in the eagle pose.

Remember, exercise can reduce stress, release endorphins, improve body image and sense of self and can positively impact your hormones.

The amount of calories you can expect to burn during these exercises depends on your current weight and the amount of time you put into the exercise.*

*To calculate the amount of calories you burn while doing these exercises without additional weights, multiply your weight by .096. Take the answer and multiply it by the amount of minutes you perform the exercise. For instance, if you weigh 160 lbs. and you take 15 minutes to complete your squats, you will burn approximately 230 calories.

Is there one move that can make you more sexually confident, daring and strong? Yes: the plank, a core-building exercise. This exercise works upper arms, abdominals, obliques, thighs and buttocks which are important muscles that help stabilize you when you are engaged in intercourse on all fours, any position where the woman is on top, or in transition from one position to another while maintaining close genital contact with your partner. Lay facedown with the palms of your hands flat on the floor on each side of your shoulders. In this position, your forearms should also be flat on the floor and will act as your support when you raise your body. Push your weight to the balls of your feet as you push up onto your forearms and palms so that your entire body is suspended in the air. Be careful to keep your body as straight and flat as possible, and avoid lifting your hips in the air. Hold this position for 10 seconds, then relax for a few seconds before repeating; do three sets of 10 reps

Read more: Exercises for Better Sex - Sexual Health at WomansDay.com - Woman's Day