From improving stamina and circulation to making different positions feel more comfortable, regular exercise could have surprising benefits in the bedroom. Our experts explain how fitness can enhance your sex life – and why you don’t need to be an elite athlete to feel the difference.
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An enjoyable sex life is possible and enjoyable at every level of fitness. However, exercising regularly can bring physical benefits that may help you feel stronger, more energetic and more confident in the bedroom.
Better cardiovascular fitness can improve stamina and circulation, while increased strength may make it easier to support your body and maintain different positions. Flexibility and mobility can also help movement feel more comfortable – particularly during and after menopause.
Here, three medical experts reveal how keeping fit could enhance your sex life after 45, as well as the simple exercises worth adding to your routine.
A fitter heart could improve your stamina
“Sex increases your heart rate and breathing, just like other forms of physical activity, so better cardiovascular fitness can help with stamina,” explains Dr Nikki Ramskill, women’s health GP and founder of The Female Health Doctor clinic.
“Cardiovascular exercise may help you last for longer in the bedroom, but it also supports healthy circulation – and blood flow is an important part of sexual arousal, including blood flow to the vulva and clitoris.”
That doesn’t mean you need to spend hours running or completing gruelling workouts. Walking briskly, swimming, cycling and dancing can all help to improve cardiovascular fitness when performed regularly.
Strength training can make positions more comfortable
Being physically stronger may make it easier to support your body weight, remain in different positions comfortably and avoid becoming tired too quickly.
“Being physically stronger can make it easier to support your own body weight, maintain different positions comfortably and reduce physical fatigue,” says Dr Ramskill.
“Squats, lunges, glute bridges, pushing and pulling movements, and resistance exercises using weights or resistance bands are all useful.
“I’d particularly encourage women to strengthen their legs, glutes and core because these muscles support so many everyday movements, including many of the movements and positions involved in sex.”
Urologist Dr Shaya Taghechian also regularly encourages her patients to strength-train because it supports many of the muscles involved in pelvic stability and movement during sex.
“With my patients over 45, I often encourage them to do exercises like squats, lunges, bridges and hip thrusts, along with ubiquitously important core-strengthening exercises,” she says. “All of these can contribute to a positive sexual experience.”
Be careful when exercising your pelvic floor
While pelvic-floor exercises are often recommended to women, strengthening these muscles is not always the right approach. Some women may have an overly tight pelvic floor and need help learning how to relax the muscles instead.
“I also think it’s important to mention the pelvic floor,” says Dr Taghechian. “Many online influencers suggest strengthening the pelvic floor without actually knowing what patients may need.
“Unfortunately, some patients may actually have an overly strong pelvic floor, and more exercise only serves to worsen symptoms. A healthy pelvic floor contributes to better sexual sensation and orgasm. But definitely speak to a qualified urologist or female health specialist to understand if strengthening or relaxation is the better way forward.”
Dr Taghechian recommends combining cardiovascular activity with exercises that strengthen the lower body and core.
“If I could offer a simple tip to women over 45, it would be to combine cardiovascular exercise with strength training, with a particular focus on the lower body and core,” she explains.
“Do all of this with the help of a knowledgeable professional, whether it’s your doctor, physical therapist or exercise physiologist.
“You don’t have to be an elite athlete to get the benefits of what we’re talking about. Moderate workouts a few times a week can increase circulation, strength, stamina and mobility, all of which can help you have a better sex life through middle age and well beyond.”
Exercise could help if you feel too tired for sex
Dr Mariam Zakhary, clinical adviser at New Jersey’s Ikon Recovery Centre, says exercise may be particularly beneficial for people who feel too tired for sex or struggle to maintain their energy.
“Physical activity can certainly impact sexual well-being,” she explains. “In addition to enhancing stamina and circulation by way of improving one’s overall cardiovascular fitness, building muscular endurance – especially in the hips, glutes and core – will allow individuals to experience reduced discomfort or fatigue with movement.”
Improving flexibility and mobility may also make it easier to move between positions without experiencing as much stiffness or discomfort.
“Greater flexibility and mobility will enable individuals to engage in various sexual positions with greater ease,” says Dr Zakhary.
“Women who are older than 45 years of age have an added advantage of improved muscular, bone or cardiovascular health during this menopause-related transition. Research concerning specific links between physical activity and sexual function continues to evolve. Therefore, caution should be used when making promises.”
Consistency matters more than the type of exercise
You don’t need a complicated fitness programme to experience the potential benefits. Instead, Dr Zakhary recommends combining cardiovascular activity, strength training and gentle stretching.
“I recommend performing combinations of brisk walking, cycling or swimming for cardiovascular conditioning; squats, glute bridges or resistance bands for strengthening; and gentle hip-flexor, hamstring or adductor stretching for increasing mobility,” she says.
“Exercise which helps improve comfort and reduces fatigue related to sexual positioning and function may be as simple as a regular routine of exercising that allows you to feel physically stronger.
“It is consistency, rather than a particular type of exercise, that will provide you with long-term benefits.”
Five simple exercises that could enhance your sex life after 45
“You don’t need a special ‘sex workout’,” says Dr Ramskill. “I’d concentrate on building a body that is strong, active and mobile.”
1. Brisk walking
Aim for regular activity that makes your heart beat faster and leaves you breathing more deeply. Brisk walking is one of the simplest ways to improve cardiovascular fitness, but swimming, cycling and dancing also count.
2. Squats
Squats strengthen the thighs, glutes and core, helping to support many of the movements used during sex. Beginners can start by slowly sitting down on a chair and standing back up again.
3. Glute bridges
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Gently lift your hips, pause and then lower them again. This exercise strengthens the glutes and the muscles around the hips and pelvis.
4. Hip-mobility exercises
Gentle hip circles, hip-flexor stretches and movements that comfortably take the hips through their natural range can help maintain mobility and reduce stiffness.
5. Pelvic-floor exercises – when appropriate
Pelvic-floor work should focus on relaxation as well as contraction. Gently squeeze the pelvic-floor muscles, then allow them to relax completely afterwards.
If you experience pain or are unsure whether pelvic-floor exercises are right for you, seek advice from a qualified pelvic-health physiotherapist, urologist or women’s health specialist.
Fitness is only one part of the picture
It is important to remember that exercise is not a cure for every sexual difficulty.
A woman could be incredibly fit and still experience vaginal dryness, painful sex or a loss of libido during menopause. Exercise will not treat menopausal vaginal dryness; lubricants, vaginal moisturisers and, where appropriate, vaginal oestrogen are more relevant options.
Equally, someone could exercise five times a week and still have little interest in sex because she is exhausted, stressed, experiencing pain, taking medication that affects her libido or struggling within her relationship.
Fitness can improve strength, stamina, mobility and circulation – but it remains just one piece of a much bigger jigsaw when it comes to enjoying a healthy and satisfying sex life.
