{"id":9087,"date":"2016-06-01T00:16:53","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T00:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/?p=9087"},"modified":"2016-06-01T23:25:24","modified_gmt":"2016-06-01T23:25:24","slug":"does-sex-count-as-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/current-health-news\/does-sex-count-as-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Sex Count as Exercise?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Does
Sex is not only fun but a modest workout as well, according to the findings of a couple of recent studies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to an intrepid band of researchers in Quebec, sex qualifies as moderate exercise. The research team found that in a typical sexual encounter, men burn up an average of 101 calories, while women expend a somewhat lower level of energy, averaging 69.1 calories per session.<\/p>\n

The researchers — four from the University of Quebec at Montreal and one from the University of Montreal — recruited 21 healthy and active heterosexual couples from the Montreal area for their study, which was published in the October 2013 issue of PLOS ONE<\/a>. The study participants, all in their early 20s, were first asked to jog on treadmills at roughly 65 percent of their maximum heart rates for a period of 30 minutes. Each participant wore a SenseWear mini armband to gauge their energy expenditures both while jogging and also during sex. These armbands measure energy expenditure in calories and exercise intensity in METs (metabolic equivalents).<\/p>\n

Researchers then asked the couples to engage in sex once a week for a month. Again, the participants wore the same armbands as they had for the jogging exercise. While the duration of sexual activity varied from one couple to another, the average for all couples during the month was 25 minutes per session.<\/p>\n

Energy Expenditure During Sex<\/b><\/p>\n

The average energy expenditure for men during the 30-minute jogging session was 276 calories, or 9.2 calories per minute. The average intensity of the jogging exercise for the male participants was 8.5 METs. For women, the average energy expenditure and exercise intensity while jogging were 213 calories (7.1 calories per minute) and 8.4 METs, respectively.<\/p>\n

During sex, the men’s average energy expenditure was 101 calories, or 4.2 calories per minute. Exercise intensity among the male participants averaged 6.0 METs. The energy expenditure and exercise intensity among the women averaged 69.1 calories (3.1 calories per minute) and 5.6 METs, respectively.<\/p>\n

\"Does
While not as strenuous as jogging, sex still elevates heart rate and blood pressure and offers a modest degree of exercise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i>Researchers also quizzed study participants to gauge their perception of how sexual activity compared with the jogging exercise in terms of effort, post-exercise fatigue, and level of energy expended. Among all participants, 57.5 percent found sexual activity less strenuous than jogging, 37.5 percent said it was comparable, and 5 percent said sex was more strenuous than jogging. Among the men, 55 percent said it was less strenuous, 35 percent found it comparable, and 10 percent said it was more strenuous. Among the female participants, 60 percent said sex was less strenuous than the jogging exercise, 40 percent said it was comparable, and none said it was more strenuous.<\/p>\n

Post-Sex Fatigue<\/b><\/p>\n

Asked about their level of fatigue after sex, 42.9 percent of all participants said they felt slightly fatigued, 38.1 reported moderate fatigue, and 19 percent said they were highly fatigued. Among men, 38.1 percent reported slight fatigue, 38.1 percent reported moderate fatigue, and 23.8 percent said they were highly fatigued. Among the women, 47.6 percent reported slight fatigue, 38.1 said they were moderately fatigued, and 14.3 said they were highly fatigued.<\/p>\n

When queried about their perceptions of the energy expended during sex, 28.6 percent of all participants classified sex as a low-energy exercise, 64.3 percent said it was a moderate-energy exercise, and 7.1 percent said it was high-energy. Among the men, 19 percent said sex was low energy, 66.7 percent said it was a moderate-energy exercise, and 14.3 percent said it was high energy. Among women, 38.1 percent said sex was low energy, and the remaining 61.9 percent classified it as a moderate-energy exercise. Nearly two-thirds of all participants correctly identified sex as a moderate-energy exercise.<\/p>\n

Earlier Study Cited<\/b><\/p>\n

An earlier study, published in the December 15, 2007, issue of the “Journal of American Cardiology,”<\/a> compared heart rate and blood pressure of participants both during sex and during a Bruce Protocol treadmill test. The latter is a maximal exercise test during which test subjects work to exhaustion as treadmill speed and incline are increased every three minutes. The Bruce Protocol test begins at a speed of 1.7 mph and a 10 percent grade and then passes through eight additional stages to a (maximum speed of 7 mph and a 26 percent grade. The Bruce Protocol test is used among athletes to estimate maximal oxygen uptake, or VO2, which helps to pinpoint the subject’s capacity to perform sustained exercise.<\/p>\n

\"Does
Sometimes you may just be too tired to exercise.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/i>A research team at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey recruited 19 adult men and 13 adult women. Ranging in age from their late 40s to their early 60s, the participants first took the treadmill test. They next engaged in home-monitored sexual activity using noninvasive heart rate and blood pressure recording devices. Generally speaking, the time spent on the treadmill was significantly shorter than the duration of sexual activity.<\/p>\n

Among men, the average maximum heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and heart rate-blood pressure product (measures overall workload of heart) during sexual activity were 72 percent, 80 percent, and 57 percent of respective measurements during the treadmill test. Among the women, the average maximum heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and heart rate-blood pressure product were 64 percent, 75 percent, and 48 percent of respective measurements during treadmill exercise.<\/p>\n

‘Modest Physical Stress’<\/b><\/p>\n

In the conclusion to their study, researchers said that “sexual activity provides modest physical stress comparable with Stage II of the standard multistage Bruce treadmill protocol for men and Stage I for women.” Stage II is walking at a 2.5-mph pace on the treadmill at a grade of 12 percent. Stage I is a pace of 1.7 mph at a grade of 10 percent.<\/p>\n

Both these studies indicate that sexual activity is a low- to moderate-energy exercise and certainly better than no exercise at all. In addition to its modest calorie-burning potential, sex confers a number of other benefits on those who are sexually active, according to WebMD.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n