Healthy living
Exercise and fitness
Get sexy for a healthy heart
Enjoying a good sex life is a key way to keep your heart healthy, according to the British Heart Foundation
The charity is encouraging people to get active in the bedroom and help to stave off heart attacks and strokes. Previous research supports the idea that regular sex is good for your health.
A study carried out at Queens University in Belfast found that men who had the most orgasms had a significantly lower death rate than those who had fewer. In a follow-up to this study, researchers also found that men who had sex three or more times a week reduced their risk of heart attack or stroke by half.
Getting hot and bothered under the sheets can also help to keep you trim because making love burns up to 200 calories, which is the equivalent of a 15-minute run or an energetic game of squash. The heartbeat of someone who is sexually aroused typically rises from 70 to 150 beats per minute, the same as an athlete during a strenuous workout.
It's not just the heart that reaps the benefits; the rush of endorphins that are released by sexual pleasure have been found to reduce stress, alleviate minor pain and boost the immune system.
Other kinds of exercise can help too. The British Heart Foundation says that all adults should aim to take 30 minutes of moderate physical activity at least five days a week.
According to the charity, people who take regular exercise have twice the protection against coronary heart disease as those who do not. At present just 30% of 50-64 year olds in the UK take the recommended amount of physical activity.
Top tips for staying active
- Break down the 30 minutes into 10- or 15-minute sessions.
- The activity should make you feel warm and slightly out of breath.
- Build the activity into your daily routine: take the stairs rather than the lift, walk instead of taking the bus.
- Fun sports and games like tossing a Frisbee are a sociable and cheap way to get your 30 minutes.
- Value the exercise in gardening, vacuum cleaning, DIY and other household chores
More information
British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk Tel: 020 7935 0185
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.