Does Exercise Increase Sex Drive?
Low libido can affect anyone and it can sometimes feel like you’ve lost your spark. There are lots of different reasons why you might have a low libido; stress, hormones and even new medications can make an impact.
Our sex drives naturally fluctuate during our lives for all sorts of reasons, so if you’re feeling a dip — especially if you’re going through a big life change or feeling stressed — it’s completely normal. But if you find that your sex drive slump is lasting for longer than you’d like, you might be looking for ways to kickstart your libido again.
The good news is, there are things you can do to increase your libido. If you’ve been reading up on how to increase your sex drive, you may have noticed that regular exercise pops up. Exercise is often linked to increasing your sex drive — but does it really help? Discover more with Hormones And You and find out if exercise can really boost your sex drive.
What affects your libido?
There are all sorts of things that can affect your libido — both positively and negatively.
Some of the possible reasons for your libido taking a nosedive include:
Hormone levels – your hormones play a big part in sexual desire, so if these are out of whack, then your sex drive will be affected. Having a baby or going through menopause has a huge impact on your hormones, which can have a knock-on effect on your sex life.
Stress – when you’re going through a stressful time, sex is probably the last thing on your mind. Stress also comes with a lot of physical symptoms too such as headaches, tension in the body and even digestion problems, all of which can really cause your libido to take a hit.
Mental health – struggling with things like anxiety or depression can decrease your libido. Low self-esteem and fatigue can make you feel as though sex is off the table.
Tiredness and lack of sleep – when you don’t get enough sleep, you hardly have the energy to get out of bed in the morning, let alone get intimate with your partner.
Relationship problems – if you’re struggling with communication, intimacy or conflict in a relationship, it can greatly impact your libido.
Big life events – when you go through a big change in your life like moving home, starting a new job or the passing of a loved one, your libido takes a backseat. The other intense emotions that you feel during these times such as anxiety and sadness can overwhelm you and decrease your libido.
Lifestyle – being sedentary and inactive can decrease your libido, as well as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.
Medical conditions – some conditions like diabetes can affect your blood flow, nerve functions and hormone levels, decreasing your libido.
Medications – certain medications like antidepressants and contraceptive pills can decrease your libido.
There are all sorts of reasons why your sex drive can take a hit. So, if you find that you suddenly aren’t interested in getting frisky anymore, there could be an underlying reason.
For more information, please read our blog on low libido and why it happens and how to treat it.
Benefits of exercise
We all know that exercise is good for us, but it can do more than simply keep you feeling (and looking) fit. Some benefits of exercise include:
Maintaining a healthy weight and building muscle
Reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and even certain cancers
Supporting your mental health by boosting your mood and reducing anxiety
Reducing fatigue
Strengthening your bones and joints could decrease your risk of osteoporosis
Improve cognitive function (like your memory)
Apart from the obvious benefits exercise has on your physical and mental health, a good workout can work wonders for your libido too.
Does exercise increase sex drive?
Exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on your sex drive, with research suggesting that regular physical activity can increase libido in both men and women. The type of exercise you do doesn’t matter either — both resistance and endurance training have been shown to increase libido.
There are several reasons why exercise can increase your sex drive. Exercise is said to activate your sympathetic nervous system, which increases the blood flow to your genital area — boosting your libido. It also increases blood flow through improved circulation, which can enhance your sex drive and pleasure.
Exercise releases endorphins (the feel-good hormone) which can help improve your mood and reduce stress. It’s no shock to anyone that feeling less stressed can increase your sex drive. So, try to manage your stress levels if you want to increase your libido.
When you exercise regularly, it can boost your self-esteem and confidence, both of which can help restore your once-lost libido.
Too much exercise and low libido
While a regular workout can re-energise your sex drive, sometimes, exercise can have the opposite effect and harm your libido.
People that engage in high-intensity exercise for extended periods have been shown to experience a decrease in their libido. This includes athletes such as marathon runners and powerlifters.
So, while exercising could boost your libido, too much of it could potentially do more harm than good. It’s all about creating a balance between exercise and rest.
Best exercises to boost libido
When it comes to exercising to boost your libido, some exercises can be more helpful than others.
Strength training such as lifting weights could help boost your sex drive by increasing your testosterone levels and enhancing your self-confidence as you begin to build muscle.
Yoga can be a great exercise to incorporate into your routine as it reduces stress and anxiety — both of which can help increase your sex drive. Specific yoga poses such as hip openers can help improve circulation in your pelvic area too.
Cardiovascular exercises such as running, cycling or swimming are excellent at increasing your blood flow and circulation, particularly in the genital area. These exercises can also help you achieve your body image goals and help you to feel more confident in yourself.
Kegel exercises involve contracting and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles, and strengthening them is a way to improve your sexual function and pleasure.
Exercise is a great way to keep your libido up, but you do need to keep a healthy balance so you aren’t putting your body under too much stress. Extreme exercise such as marathon running can decrease your libido, so keeping up with regular, moderate exercise is the best way to boost your sex drive.
As well as exercise, there are other ways that you can boost your libido — and Hormones and You are on hand to help.
With our bioidentical libido cream, you can get yourself back to where you feel the most confident in the bedroom. Not only can our bioidentical libido cream enhance your sex drive, but it can also support healthy bone density and balance your hormone levels.
Get in touch today with Hormones and You, and you too can restore your sex drive.
