On the subject of exercise, one of my favorite lines is from the movie “Legally Blond”. Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, declares: “I just don’t think that Brooke could’ve done this [murder]. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands”.
While the logic is a little um, stretched, she definitely has a point about exercise and endorphins and mood.
In these cold winter months, when there’s a strong desire to just get into pajamas and cuddle up with a cup of hot cocoa, it can be more difficult to maintain a fitness regimen. Whether you like to work out at home, at the gym, or outside, it can feel extra challenging to stay committed to it because you just don’t feel like getting up. But decreasing exercise can raise risk factors for various health issues, and from a sexual perspective it can have an impact as well. Here are a few reasons to stay active:
- Exercise increases your stamina. Without stamina, sex can be more work and you can find yourself more easily out of breath.
- As Elle Woods stated, exercise causes secretion of endorphins. Endorphins and sex hormones are friends.
- Working out with a partner can be a great way to connect and stay close.
- When you’re feeling out of shape and perhaps weighing more than usual, sex doesn’t seem as appealing. Staying active can help maintain your confidence with yourself and your body.
- Your Spring/Summer wardrobe will thank you.
New Year’s Resolutions tend to include exercise as a goal, but it’s important that it not be an all-or-nothing endeavor. There are small things you can implement that can keep you active and invigorate you. A twenty minute walk outside. Ten push-ups and crunches. Taking the stairs. Whatever it is, something is better than nothing.