A Natural Aphrodisiac
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010by 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









