Exercises That Help Put You in the Mood for Love Year-Round

Valentine’s Day, coming up Sunday, is supposed to be a celebration of romantic love. But the gifts that are given--typically, chocolates and flowers--are transitory. They don’t necessarily lead to more than a night or two of romance.

So this year, why not give a Valentine’s Day gift that is guaranteed to create a better sex life for the rest of your lives together: exercise.

To begin with, working out leads to a feeling of vitality that is part and parcel of sexual desire. Not only do you feel more desirous, but also more desirable, more alluring, more attractive.

Then, too, there’s something about working out that is, in and of itself, kind of a turn-on. Your body’s core temperature is raised, your limbs and muscles are loose, and you’re sweating. For me, these are ripe conditions for being “in the mood.” Anyone who’s ever spent time in Hawaii, where you’re always warm and loose and a little bit sweaty, knows how sexy that atmosphere is. Contrast that against cold weather locales, where you find yourself clenched and tight, and thinking about only one thing: getting warm.

I remember standing with my aerobics students nearly 20 years ago, talking about how alive and sexy we all felt after working out. I heard thank yous from middle-aged women who’d rediscovered the joys of sex with their husbands after years of just going through the motions.

These aren’t just anecdotal observations, either. According to a study conducted at UC San Diego, people who exercised for one hour, three to four times per week, enjoyed a 30% increase in the frequency of sex with their regular partner, as well as an increase in the number of orgasms. Apparently, exercise is one heck of an aphrodisiac.

And it also enhances performance.

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Increased flexibility provides for greater maneuverability. Increased strength helps support your body weight. And increased cardiovascular capacity leads to greater endurance. Here are a few Valentine exercises that are guaranteed to put you in the mood.

We’ll begin with a simple isometric that you can perform dozens of times a day, no matter where you are. Called the Kegel squeeze it strengthens your pelvic floor, which is the collection of muscles and ligaments at the base of the abdomen supporting the bladder, vagina, uterus and rectum. Childbirth and aging can weaken this part of your body, leading to a reduced ability to control your vaginal and pelvic muscles, and therefore difficulty in achieving orgasm.

Women who strengthen their pelvic floor muscles often report a renewed appreciation for sex; they find that they’re able to climax more freely and experience stronger, more intense orgasms. You perform the Kegel squeeze by squeezing and holding for a count of 10 those muscles that are normally used to stop the flow of urine.

A good strength exercise, the squat, works your front and rear thigh muscles, and your buttocks. Begin by standing up straight with your abs tightened and your feet hip-width apart, hands by your sides. Now inhale, bending your knees as if you’re about to sit in a chair. Lower yourself until your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor. Then lift your arms in front of you for balance. Pause, exhale, and slowly stand. Repeat five times.

Next, a stretch, called the butterfly, helps improve the flexibility of the inside of your thighs. Sitting on the floor, touch the soles of your feet together, then bring your heels in as close to your buttocks as you comfortably can. Use your elbows to push your knees down toward the floor and lean forward from your hips. Try not to round your back as you push for a count of 15. Repeat five times.

Finally, to build endurance you need a cardiovascular workout of at least 20 minutes. You have a choice of anything that appeals to you, from running or walking, to kick boxing, to indoor cycling and stepping. These workouts--and in fact, all of the exercises--can be done with your mate. And in that way, they really can act as a prelude to foreplay.

The proof that exercising can turn Valentine’s Day into Valentines daily is in the doing. Try it and you’ll see that, long after the flowers and candy are gone, you’ll still have something beautiful and delicious with which to nourish your relationship.

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Copyright 1999 by Kathy Smith

Kathy Smith’s fitness column appears weekly in Health. Reader questions are welcome and can be sent to Kathy Smith, Health, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053. If your question is selected, you will receive a free copy of her book “Getting Better All the Time.” Please include your name, address and a daytime phone number with your question.