Why Sex is Good For You
Having more sex could not only make us feel good, it could provide far-reaching health benefits.
Unfortunately
we are having less of it - on average we have sex fewer than five times
a month, compared to six-and-a-half times 20 years ago, according to
the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.
Yet
studies have linked regular sexual activity to emotional well-being,
reduced migraine pain and even a lower risk of prostate cancer.
A Canadian study last month found
that half-an-hour of sexual activity could burn more calories than
walking on a treadmill - the researchers claimed sexual activity could
be considered significant exercise.
The
study measured the sexual activity of 21 couples aged between 18 and 35
- they were monitored using an armband to calculate how many calories
the wearer burned, and the intensity of the activity.
In
a typical session lasting 25 minutes, the men burned an average of 100
calories, the women 69. The intensity of the activity was measured in
METs (the Metabolic Equivalent of a Task); for men, the average reading
was six METs, for women it was 6.6.
It's roughly the same as playing
doubles tennis, or walking uphill, for 20 minutes, 33 minutes of golf on
a driving range, 40 minutes of yoga or 19 minutes of light rowing.
The
Canadian findings chime with past campaigns by the British Heart
Foundation, which suggested that 30 minutes of daily sex is as good for
you as walking the dog.
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