Why Does Working Out Make You Feel So Darn Horny?
Post-gym hair. Sweat. B.O. Finishing a workout isn’t quite the sexiest moment of your entire life. But, have you ever noticed feeling super horny afterward anyway? Well, you aren’t alone and this is actually a very normal aftermath of hitting the gym. Some describe feeling euphoric, and tingly after exercise. While others simply have the desire to have sex or masturbate ASAP. Either way, there is an undeniable link between working out and sexual desire.
Raging hormones
Once again, your hormones are at play here. After working out, your “feel-good” hormones run rampant in your bloodstream, which is why exercise makes you feel amazing afterward. These hormones include dopamine and serotonin, and both can make you feel confident. Plus, they affect the way your body perceives pleasure, thus making your libido skyrocket.
Your body also releases endorphins post-workout, yet another “feel-good” hormone. Endorphins leave you radiating positivity and, according to research, also regulate when you release sex hormones such as testosterone. Increased levels of testosterone are a sure way to boost your libido. So, it’s no surprise working out can leave you so horny. Research from the University of Texas at Austin found that exercise increases the sex drives of pre-menopausal women. What’s more, exercise will even help women whose sex drives have been lowered due to antidepressants.
Core and pelvic floor muscles
Experts also believe that certain exercises can trigger this sudden onset of horniness, such as ones that activate your core and pelvic floor muscles. Your core muscles are deep within your stomach and back and stretch from the base of the head right down to your pelvis. Your pelvic floor muscles are located in the base of your pelvis and stretch like a hammock from your pubic bone to your tailbone. Three separate muscles make up your pelvic floor muscles and these support your bladder, bowel, and uterus, and not to mention are essential for sexual function.
Exercises that create tension and pressure in your core and pelvic floor muscles can lead to a state of arousal during and after exercise according to health clinical specialists. The pudendal nerve, which is responsible for genitalia sensation, also passes through many of the muscles that you use during a core workout. Plus, all the added blood flow pumping to those areas can trigger a strong physical desire for sexual release. Wow, who would have thought that exercise and sex are so interconnected?
5 mind-blowing benefits of getting it on after the gym
Ignore all the sweat and strange odors, and get ready to have some incredible post-gym sex! To optimize all your feel-good hormones and extra blood flow, have sex up to an hour after finishing your workout and:
- Feel good for even longer
If you’re no stranger to the gym, then you will know how amazing the high afterward is. Having sex shortly after working out can boost these “feel-good” hormones and leave you feeling elevated for even longer. During satisfying sexual activity and after having an orgasm, your body releases oxytocin, also known as the “happy-love” hormone. Specialists claim that oxytocin helps you to feel happy and calm and can last for up to 4 or 5 hours after sex. This, alongside all of the other hormones surging in your bloodstream, will surely leave you beaming with happiness for the foreseeable.
- Increased pleasure
All the added blood flow to your genitals and pelvic floor muscles can increase your sensitivity after working out. Your genitals could be more responsive to touch. And, according to psychologists and sex therapists, you might even find that reaching orgasm is easier.
- Get in some extra cardio
While sex isn’t exactly a sufficient cardio replacement, you sure do burn some calories in between the sheets. Researchers found that on average, women burn 69 calories during 25 minutes of sexual activity. This of course does vary from person to person and session to session. For example, your weight will affect how many calories you burn alongside the type of positions you do during sex. But hey, this certainly sounds more interesting than 25 minutes on the treadmill.
- Ease muscle-soreness
Having sex can also help ease those sore yet strangely satisfying muscle aches you get after a good workout. The endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine your body releases post-sex can help you feel less achy by temporarily blocking pain receptors. Research supports the effectiveness of sex to ease migraine pain. In fact, a study published in the peer-review journal Cephalalgia saw 60% of participants noting less pain after having sex. And, you can apply this to other pains, such as muscle aches. You could even throw in a nice sensual massage to help soothe that inevitable next-day muscle soreness.
- Bond with your partner
One of the many benefits of sex is the bond it builds and strengthens between you and your partner. During sex, oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone” or “cuddle hormone” is released. According to researchers at the University of California, oxytocin helps to “maintain healthy interpersonal relationships”. So, the more you have satisfying sex, the closer you’ll feel to your partner. You can even extend this bond to the gym by working out together or doing a couple’s exercise routine. Incorporating sex into your couple’s workout will bring you closer and give you something to look forward to once you’ve finished.
One last thing…
Want to give your libido an even stronger boost? Listen to Passion’s sound journeys to mentally get in the mood as well as physically. Immerse yourself in the most calming and restorative sounds to fuel the fire of your passion. Enjoy:
- Less stress and anxiety
- A greater understanding of your body
- Enhanced confidence
And, most importantly, greater passion.