Sex. It’s awesome.
Boom.
Article done.
. . .
Just playing.
I don’t think that anyone really needs to tell people to have sex for their health. We all want to have sex anyway. And it’s not what I’m going to be telling you in this article. I mean, it is. But it’s not the only thing that I’m going to be talking about in this article.
When reading about the correlation of sex and health, it seems that every single article I’ve read talks about the benefits of sex on your body. Like physical health benefits. Great. To me though, it’s a little boring. It misses the big picture. Because there’s so much more to sex then just the physical health benefits.
And I don’t necessarily mean the pleasurable side of it, that’s obvious, but it definitely plays a role . . .
It’s great for your mental and emotional health too. Even crazier is that it’s also linked to other aspects of your life, like career success and overall happiness. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s an incredible indicator of how healthy you are.
Tell me that’s not crazy.
. . .
You can’t.
If you want to learn more about your how sex is correlated with your overall health and happiness, then keep reading. Shit’s about to get REAL.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
How Sex Indicates the Status of Your Health
Physical Health Benefits of Sex
How Sex Affects your Career and Overall Happiness
How Sex Indicates the Status of Your Health
We have so much technology in the world today. It’s fascinating. Drugs to treat diseases, diagnostic tests to understand how our body is functioning, and the list goes on for days. Yet, the simplest things are often overlooked.
How often do you want to have sex?
Guys, do you consistently get erections when you wake up?
Ladies, are your menstrual cycles consistent?
Uh, what does this have to do with fitness again?
A lot. Because the answers to these questions, which you don’t have to answer in the comments section by the way, are excellent indicators of how healthy you are. Like right now.
Your body’s ability to reproduce, or lack there of, which ever it may be, are tell tale signs of good health or impending problems. If your answers to the questions above are “no”, or “not a lot”, then you don’t need to run tests to know that something is wrong.
In fact, it’s a sure way to know that your body is most likely degrading and being deprived of something essential to your health and well being. This could be ranging from diet, to exercise, or even to interpersonal connection.
Ben Greenfield talks about this in his post on 10 rules for living ancestral. He cites that poor circulation, mineral imbalances, and excessive artery plaque, will often manifest itself in the form of erectile dysfunction or low blood flow to sexual organs long before a heart attack takes place.
That’s bonkers.
Why just survive when you should be thriving? Paying attention to your libido, orgasms, menstrual cycles, and erections are simple and effective ways to know that your health is in check.
Moral of the story? Make sure you can have kids. You don’t have to actually have them, but the ability to, shows that you are healthy. The actual act of sex – well, that’s great for your health too. As long as it’s safe.
Physical Health Benefits of Sex
Not that I need to give you any more incentive to have sex. Pretty sure we all want to get our O face on (also wanted to note that link, yes, that’s a wikipedia link to “O face”). But, just so you know . . .
It’s a workout
One half hour session of sex burns an average of 85 calories according to WebMd. I’m sure that a lot of that depends on what kind of appetite you have though . . .
Treadmill? Hell no.
Sex? I’m in.
I’ll Forrest the Gump out of any cardio workout in the form of sex, any day. Sure you feel the same way too.
Boosts your Self Esteem
Piggybacking on the fact that it’s a workout in and of itself which contributes to how you look, there’s more benefits too. The hormones released during sex contribute to the way you look and feel.
Some of the hormones released during sex are testosterone, which contributes to stronger bones and muscles. Estrogen which contributes to soft skin and shiny hair. Not to mention that you’ll look younger. A study conducted by the Royal Edinburgh hospital in Scotland showed subjects that had sex with a consistent partner, 4 times a week on average, were perceived to be up to 12 years younger looking than they actually were.
Um, wow.
Strengthens your Immune System
A Wilkes University study showed that sex 1 to 2 times a week boosted salivary immunoglobulin A, or IgA, by 30 percent.
What the hell is IgA?
It’s the stuff that helps prevent colds and other infections.
For my dudes, frequent ejaculations can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Here’s a link to the study. And you don’t need to have a partner for that one so . . . get to work gentleman.
Decreases Pain, Blood Pressure, and Stress
The Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine did a study and found that subjects who had taken a dose of oxytocin saw their pain threshold increase by 50%. The combination of arousal, orgasm, and the release of oxytocin and other endorphins overcome the sensation of pain.
Headache? Forget Tylenol.
Have sex or masturbate.
Research (link to study here) shows that your partner’s touch is some pretty powerful shit. Something as simple as a hug initiates the release of oxytocin, which then triggers a cardiovascular response in your body that lowers your blood pressure and stress levels.
Imagine giving your significant other a hug the morning of a big business meeting and what that would do to their stress levels. And how that could manifest for their career.
A hug.
That’s it.
Takes like 5 seconds.
Sex would be better.
For sure.
But still, you get my point.
Oxytocin is one crazy ass hormone.
What’s crazier is how something as simple and enjoyable as sex has these incredibly positive effects on your life. And the physical health benefits are really just the beginning. Sex is linked to a lot of other important aspects of your life, like career and overall happiness.
How Sex Affects your Career and Overall Happiness
The release of oxytocin and the response it triggers in your body, being connected with someone, all from sex – does wonders for your health and overall well being. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Naturally, this affects other aspects in your life as well. Like your career and your happiness.
Interestingly enough, society tends to frame happiness in terms of money and options. Financial freedom. Career stability and success. Ah, wouldn’t that be nice?
So it’s assumed – make a lot of money with a good career and you’ll be happy.
But how much money do you need to make you happy?
According to Daniel Gilbert, who is the professor of psychology at Harvard, once you have enough money to meet your basic needs, incremental increases have little effect on your happiness levels.
Penelope Trunk writes an interesting article about how career happiness is correlated to your sex life.
The take away?
Consistent sex with ONE partner in your life is going to make you happier than any salary increase will.
And not just consistent sex, but monogamous sexual relationships contribute to a happier life than polygamous sexual relationships do.
And it’s not just in this article. Did you notice that much of the studies on physical health benefits you garner from sex, were with consistent partners as well? Don’t think that is a coincidence.
You’d think that being rich as hell and sleeping with a bunch of beautiful women (or whichever sex floats your boat) would do it. Nope, just one partner in your life to have consistent sex with. That’s it.
Which totally sucks. I wasted all this energy on trying to become famous, rich as shit, and mapping out world domination. All to be happy. This whole time I just needed a girlfriend?
Damn it.
That being said . . . if you know any cute single girls who are into incredibly attractive and fit redheads (if I do say so myself), holla at cha’ boy
Funny that we live in a world where money and options are absolute must haves. Keys to happiness and even health. Take a closer look. Really, all you need is someone to come home to. And, have sex with. Obviously. Who are we kidding here.
That one thing does more for your happiness and health than any salary or career could.
Crazy to think about right?
Have sex. Be healthy. Be happy.
On that note, I’m out.
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Thanks so much for reading and see you next week!