by Karen Turner

Olympic athletes are notorious for their enormous sex drives.

I’ve been a perpetual couch potato basically my whole life, save a couple of years of obligatory soccer in middle school. However, in a recent burst of hypochondriacal anxiety about my sausage, egg and cheese sandwich diet on top of a sedentary lifestyle, I vowed to exercise regularly. My thrice-weekly cardio sessions have been painful, but I’ve discovered, to my great surprise and joy, that exercise is powerfully, almost indulgently, pleasurable.

It’s not surprising to most that working out releases enough chemicals in your brain to rival some epic mind-altering substance. Dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine are released during exercise, the same neurotransmitters targeted by anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication as well as many illegal recreational drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Exercise also releases endorphins, which are often described as the “body’s natural painkiller” and have a nearly identical chemical structure to morphine. And of course, all of these neurochemicals are released during another powerful and stimulating activity: sex.

I was talking to a friend about the satisfactions of working out and she told me that her best orgasms come from using her vibrator and doing Pilates. I don’t know if I could ever quite achieve such stimulation, but I have come very close to the “runner’s high,” the supposed culmination of the above-stated chemicals resulting in a calm, zen-like experience. And it feels awesome. The heavy breathing and racing heart beat transport me into a different, elevated mindset, and there’s also something gratifying about forcing your body into, and eventually through, intense pain.

Interestingly, the state of physical arousal during a workout also increases your sexual attraction–or revulsion–to a person. I’ve experienced this first-hand. During an elliptical session where I was situated with a perfect view of my boyfriend spinning, my head imploded with extremely focused, heated thoughts about doing terrible, terrible things with him. The intensity of my attraction had reached a new level. Not only that, but I was convinced that every girl that walked by him was plotting to steal him away from me at any moment. Normally I’m a pretty non-jealous person, but I swear I was experiencing wild, animalistic levels of rage and rivalry towards every female within my vicinity.

Studies have also shown that, on top of deeper sleep, a keener mind, and a happier mood, exercise vastly improves your sex life. Men report better erectile health and women experience heightened sex drive, and, happily, better orgasms for all. So move your booties, all of you.

Sources: “The Three E’s,” Men’s Total Fitness. “Health, Exercise and mood,” The MayoNews. “Exercise: key to good sex, good sleep,” CNN.com. Social Psychology, Charles Stangor.

Image Source: lifelounge.com

by Karen Turner

A more innocent Chat Roulette encounter.

One of the first things you’ll hear about ChatRoulette.com is that you’re going to see a lot of d—. The popular video chat website sets you up with a random person anywhere in the world  and you talk, either through a computer mic or old-school chat through the attached text box. No usernames, no profiles, just complete internet anonymity (although they can see your face). It’s become the rogue dating site competitor with its “missed connections” feature, and, of course, is a breeding ground for seedy sexual encounters.

And there is a lot of d—, both figuratively and literally. The vast majority of the people playing Roulette are dudes, usually hanging out late at night waiting to see some girls. And frequently, your “next”ing will lead you to some fat guy masturbating in front of his webcam.  The first time I Roulette-ed, close to half of the chats I would come across weren’t faces; they were penises, often framed at glorifying, size-enhancing angles.

While at first I would shriek and quickly “next” every boner I saw, I eventually got over the shock value and tried my best to talk, for the sake of journalism, to the guys beyond the screen. Not surprisingly, few of them wanted to talk to me about the intricacies of their webcam-exposition-fetishes. The occasional dude would respond to my questions with misspelled come-ons, desperately typed with the free hand until the struggle of multitasking became too much. I eventually came across someone who obliged my questions; he was one of the shyer, more traditional of the breed, starting each chat with a boxer-clothed crotch, as if it were some kind of wrapped present to be revealed after he “gets to know” his chat partner a little better. I asked him what his deal was with the whole Roulette flashing business. He said it turned him on to see someone watching him, and the anonymity on both sides just made it all the more exciting. But how many people actually sit and watch, I asked. Not many, he replied, though you meet the occasional person who gets into it. Plus (and this was the last thing he said to me before “next”ing), I get to see how I size up compared to other dudes.

As Chat Roulette gains in popularity, it’s sure to tighten up restrictions and clean up the pornographic elements considerably…so if you’re wondering how you compare to a sample size of d—- from all over the world, hop on it.

Photo credit: ibeatyou.com

Oprah interviewed four convicted pedophiles

by Karen Turner

Oprah Winfrey has dedicated hours of airtime from her popular daytime show to the topic of child molesters, yet her face-to-face interview with four convicted pedophiles has proved the most frank and graphic show she has ever produced on the subject.

The interview focused on the general prevention of child molestation, yet perhaps most jarring were the vulnerability and twisted realities of these convicted men.

All of the featured pedophiles were participating in community service as part of their sentences and agreed to go on the show to tell their stories. Every one of them seemed shamefully aware of the consequences of their actions, enough that they were willing to publicly detail their crimes for the sake of prevention.

So how could they go through with such heinous actions in the first place? Here comes the scary part: all of them insisted that they did not believe they were harming their victims. They believed that they were engaged in loving, consensual relationships with these children; one man confessed he thought he was going to marry his victim. In fact, “love” was used so frequently in the interview, I began to feel uneasy as I watched. We use and hear the word so frequently in our every day lives and the concept seems familiar, yet here it was being used to represent a relationship based on manipulation and delusional self-denial.

It made me realize how sexual urges often influence the way we interpret our feelings and, more importantly, the feelings of the other person engaged in the sexual act. Oprah explained that the physical act of molestation is not necessarily scarring for the child;  it’s the confusion of feelings, trust and power that is so damaging. In reality, this can be true for almost any kind of sexual relationship, including those between two adults.

Of course, I’m now referring to a much less drastic scale than child molestation, yet we can still take something valuable from this interview. Our intentions may not be evil, yet our actions can still have disturbing effects on the engaged person. We must be aware of the manipulation and violation of trust that could be occurring in our sexual relationships.

We could also be caught in a cloud of rationalization and confused emotions.

Image source: oprah.com