Exercises for Better Sex: Guidelines for Women

Sexual desire and satisfaction are driven by many factors, many of which can be influenced by working out. Studies show that all forms of regular exercise can increase blood flow throughout your body, including to the clitoris and vagina, which can amp up sexual response. Exercise also releases feel-good hormones that can help boost happiness and confidence, while also reducing stress levels.

While any form of exercise can help your sex life, different kinds of exercises have different benefits in the bedroom for women.

Yoga

Yoga offers a low, moderate form of cardiovascular exercise. It also involves meditation and mindfulness, which can improve mental health. A study shows women who participated in a 12-week yoga intervention saw improvements in six facets of female sexual function by the end of the study, claiming increased desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm and satisfaction, and less pain during sex.

Yoga can also help improve flexibility, which never hurts when it comes to trying new positions in the bedroom.

If you’re new to yoga, start with a beginner-level vinyasa class in your area or online.

Hit the weights

Even a single bout of strength training can help boost your confidence, make you feel stronger, and help you get mentally and physically ready for sex. Moreover, regular strength and resistance training can lead to improved desire, lubrication and excitement, and reduced pain during sex.

If you decide to add strength training to your routine for its sexual health benefits, spend some extra time targeting your lower body, especially your glutes. Common lower-body moves such as squats, hip thrusts and glute bridges also help you train your pelvic floor muscles, offering an alternative to the more commonly used Kegels.

Pelvic floor muscles are key to sexual enjoyment and health. Generally, people with stronger pelvic floor muscles experience stronger sexual desire, excitement and orgasm. A strength-training routine that includes lower-body exercises that require deep core and pelvic engagement, such as squatting and hip thrusting, can lead to better sexual experiences.

Cardio, in moderation

If you just love breaking a sweat with cardio, you can rest (or run) easy knowing it’s helping your sexual health as much as it’s helping your heart health. Studies show that female participants who cycled on a bike for 20 minutes before watching an erotic film experienced increases in vaginal pulse amplitude and blood volume, indicating an increased physiological sexual response when aroused.

That said, try not to overdo your time on the treadmill. Some studies indicate libido may be negatively affected when people rack up too much intense cardio. This is particularly true of individuals training for long-distance events such as marathons or extreme-length triathlons. The idea is that too much intense cardio or exercise, in general, can fatigue all of your body’s systems, not just your heart, lungs and muscles. As a result, you may end up feeling more inclined to simply hit the sheets than to get between them.

Get moving

Regardless of what kind of movement you choose, any form of exercise can change your sex life for the better. Getting up and getting active, whether it’s just to get your blood flowing or to strengthen your body, is likely to make improvements in not only your mental response to sex, but also in your physical response.