Most people don’t exactly associate physical exercise with the idea of fun. When they think of sport, they think of sweat and slog, pounding the pavement every day through wind and rain, and immediately lose any spark of motivation they might have had. It can be a challenge to break down that mental barricade. But I think I’ve found an alternative — and it’s called sex! Of course, this can also bring you out in a sweat, but almost everyone in the world is wild about it nonetheless.
# Heart AttackFrequent sex is in fact an excellent way to combine stress-reducing effects with physical exercise, and to have a lot of fun in the process. Furthermore, the hormones produced by our bodies when we have sex protect us from all sorts of illnesses and diseases. Indeed, one academic study showed sexually active people have a significantly lower risk of suffering a heart attack than the more sexually abstemious.
# StimulatorThere stands that person, the object of your desires. There’s chemistry between you, and you’re totally energized. Your heart begins to beat harder and faster, you are charged with energy, nothing and no one can stop you now. The cause of all these feelings is adrenaline, a stress hormone produced in the adrenal glands, which triggers a fight-or-flight response in us within a fraction of a second.
# Painkiller
Endorphin could be described as the junkie among the hormones released during sex. Even its name makes this clear, being made up from the words ‘endogenous morphine’ (that is, morphine produced within our own body). Endorphin is well known to be an extremely effective painkiller. It inhibits the transmission of pain signals and helps us sleep better. Our bodies produce it in great quantities whenever we laugh, eat something delicious, or engage in strenuous physical exercise. And, of course, when we have sex. Which goes some way towards explaining why people — in particular, men — tend to drift happily off to sleep soon after the act is done.
# Happy HormoneSerotonin is the supreme happy hormone. It makes us feel pleasantly relaxed and content. It also bolsters our immune system, strengthening our body’s defenses against disease. When we are under the influence of serotonin, we feel peaceable and tend to see the world ‘through rose-tinted glasses’… Serotonin is also instrumental in producing the feelings of happiness associated with sex. And it helps wounds to heal by causing smaller blood vessels to contract, reducing blood loss.