FitSugar

7 Health Benefits of Having Sex

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:47:19 PST

There are only so many hours in the day for getting physical. Skipping the gym for a little romp isn't something you should do every day, but when you do choose getting sweaty in bed over the exercise bike, you're still burning calories. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, check out the health benefits of getting it on.

Thinkstock

10 Surprising Health Benefits of Sex

FitSugar — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 03:00:00 PST

I'm sure you can agree that after a romp in the sheets, you always feel happier and more relaxed. Aside from those emotional benefits, check out WebMD's list of 10 health benefits of sex.

Relieves Stress: The calming effect of sex has a positive impact on your blood pressure.
Boosts Immunity: Did you know that having sex once or twice a week has been shown to increase the levels of the antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA). This is responsible for helping you fight against infections such as colds.
Burns Calories: A half hour of sex burns 85 calories. That beats going to the gym, huh?
Improves Cardiovascular Health: For guys, having sex two or more times a week reduces their risk of a fatal heart attack.
Boosts Self-Esteem: Having sex makes people feel better about themselves. If a person already has a good self-esteem, having sex raises it even more.

Want to see the rest? Then

Improves Intimacy: When you have sex, the level of the love hormone in your body known as oxytocin increases. This hormone has been linked with the need to nurture, bond, and be generous.
Reduces Pain: With the heightened level of oxytocin, endorphins are released which help relieve pain from headaches, arthritis, and also PMS symptoms.
Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk: Guys who have frequent ejaculations (five or more a week) when they're in the 20s reduce their future risk of prostate cancer by one third.
Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles: When women perform pelvic floor exercises known as Kegels during sex, they enjoy more pleasure, but they also reduce their risk for incontinence later in life.
Sex Helps You Sleep Better: Thanks to that oxytocin, aside from relieving pain, it also helps you have a good night's sleep.

With all those reasons, I say go ahead and get physical!

Source

Spice Up Your Sex Life With These Simple Foods

Fitness Magazine — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:35:53 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Fitness Magazine here on FitSugar!

Feeling a little lackluster in the kitchen lately? How about the bedroom? The two could be related. Food can be a very sensual prop that helps keep things spicy behind closed doors, but which ones should you be welcoming with open arms and which should you close your taste buds to? JJ Virgin, cohost of TLC’s Freaky Eaters, gave us some food for thought on how to kick things up a notch for supersizzling results!

The three main things to look for in an arousing appetite are a rise in blood flow, circulation, and dopamine levels, Virgin explains. Try adding these to your next candlelit dinner for a big bite of romance!

Oysters and avocados both have a big dose of healthy fats, which are full of dopamine, a neurotransmitter triggering the part of our brain that recognizes reward and pleasure.
Walnuts (or any nut except peanuts) have high levels of arginine, a natural amino acid that boosts blood flow.
Fish not only have arginine, but an added bonus of omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve your cardiovascular health and increase dopamine. A triple threat!
Spicy dishes, like this Roast Salmon With Thai Red Curry Sauce, stimulate your tongue and kick-start the nervous system - great for postdinner activities!

And if you don’t want to send your sweetheart flying out the door (OK, maybe that’s a little extreme), keep reading to see which foods to stay away from.

More from Fitness:

How Will Living Together Affect Your Relationship?

YourTango — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:00:00 PDT

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango.

Sherri was shaken. She was living with her fiancé and planning their wedding and had just learned that her best friend had filed for divorce. Sherri said, "I was in her wedding party just a year ago. Everything was wonderful when they lived together. They were together for 5 years before they decided to get married. Things started going downhill right after the wedding. We've been living together for 3 years. Now I'm scared that we won't make it either!"

There's a good reason for Sherri to be worried. Fortunately, addressing her worries now, before she gets married, will increase her chances for creating a successful marriage. Living together before marriage is certainly no guarantee that a marriage will last. In fact, couples who live together before marriage divorce at about the same rate as all couples who marry.

Writing about The Downside of Cohabitating before Marriage in the New York Times, Meg Jay suggests that sliding into living together before a couple is committed to marriage increases the likelihood that the marriage won't last. Jay believes this convenient arrangement gives couples a false sense of security so that they never really discuss the complex issues they'll have to face in marriage.

I believe there's another important reason that marriages of people who've been living together for a long time get into trouble. We each carry a set of unexamined personal rules about what a marriage is supposed to be like and how married people are supposed to behave. When you're just living together, you have no reason to worry about those rules. When you marry, the rules are activated.

Finish reading the rest of the story on YourTango: How Will Living Together Affect Your Relationship?

Written by Dr. Laurie Weiss for YourTango.

Meeting My Sperm Donor

The Good Men Project — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:00:50 PDT

We're happy to present this story from one of our favorite sites, The Good Men Project. Ben Sommer, conceived through alternative insemination, is a young man now and tells the story of deciding to meet his donor.

I grew up in a middle-class home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with two loving parents, both of whom are women. My conception was perhaps the most organized and scientific miracle of the modern American family - my architecture, the dream of dozens of individuals conducting their work across thousands of miles.

Objectifying Ryan Gosling

I was conceived through alternative insemination. A donor submitted his sperm to the Sperm Bank of California in Oakland (TSBC). Later, it was sent to the Fenway Community Health Center in Boston. Since opening its doors in 1982, TSBC has helped families without the ability to conceive on their own to birth over 2,000 children. Two thirds of those have ended up, like me, being raised in a lesbian household. TSBC is also the first sperm bank to offer a donor-identity-release program, which allows children of alternative insemination access to their donors' information when they turn 18.

I am not as much an oddity as you might think. As of 2005, some 270,000 children in the United States had same sex-parents. We are a generation that is just now beginning to come of age and able to share our stories. This is mine.

Growing up in a lesbian household was much like growing up in any other family unit, I imagine: vacations to Cape Cod, parents working late and sometimes not, play dates with a diverse group of friends.

I never gave much thought to that mysterious figure across the country. I never questioned the fact that I didn't have a father. As far as I was concerned I didn't need one. Is having two moms really all that different than having a mom and a dad? Parents are parents, right? I didn't see a difference at the time. My parents didn't either - at least at first.

They decided to conceive through a donor, in part, to avoid the complications that a third parent would bring. Asking a close male friend to donate, like some couples have done, can create unforeseen consequences. In the past, there have been custody battles between the donor and the parents raising the child. This was the case with a friend of mine, whose parents arranged donation from a male family friend. With a semi-anonymous donor like the man my parents chose, it would be clear who my parents were. And it was.

That's not to say that it was smooth sailing. "When we first learned you were going to be a boy, we really panicked," my mother told me recently. "Who's going to teach him to throw a ball? We didn't have many male friends. There was even basic stuff, like who's going to teach him to pee standing up. That doesn't come naturally."

Read the rest of the story below.

Smooch, Snuggle, and Squeeze: Health Benefits of Being Affectionate

Jenny Sugar — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:39:08 PST

It's human nature to want to be close to the people we care about, but for the people we really love - well, it's hard to keep our hands off them! Valentine's Day is almost here, so keep reading to find out how all those extra hugs and kisses can benefit your health.

Jillian Michaels's Secrets to the Strongest You . . . Ever

Health — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:43:51 PST

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

The top trainer and life guru reveals the one question that'll get you to your goal - plus the single best workout to keep you feeling great for life.
By Alison Prato

Jillian Michaels catapulted to fame as the punishing trainer who got results on The Biggest Loser and Losing It With Jillian. But the 38-year-old has always been just as interested in building confidence as she has in sculpting rock-hard abs.

It's no accident that her most recent book is Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life. Everything Jillian tackles - including her recent gig as a life adviser on The Doctors, her DVDs (such as her latest, Jillian Michaels Kickbox FastFix), and her intimate podcast - is meant to help the rest of us claim a healthier, happier life.

Health.com: Get the Body You Crave With Celeb-Inspired Workouts

Sitting high in the hills of Southern California, the woman who calls everybody "buddy" is surprisingly funny and self-deprecating. And as expected, she's incredibly open, talking about her tough tween years, how she stays motivated (and how you can, too), and the dream she's fighting to make a reality.

Read the interview with Jillian after the break.

Obama Compromises on Contraception

Annie Scudder — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:20:55 PST

Despite the fact that 99 percent of women who have ever had sex - religious or not - have used contraception, the Obama administration's decision to make birth control free under all employer health insurance packages has caused a controversy. Today, the White House announced that it will make a change to its new policy to accommodate religious institutions, such as Catholic hospitals and universities, who do not want to cover prescriptions like the pill. Under the compromise, religious employers would not have to offer free birth control. Rather, insurance companies themselves would have to provide free contraception to workers at religiously sponsored institutions if the worker requests it.

The original policy, similar to laws that already exist in states like California and Oregon, would have required groups affiliated with religious institutions, like hospitals, charities, and universities, to provide insurance plans that cover birth control for free. Churches themselves would be exempt. But some religions, like the Catholic Church, oppose all forms of birth control, and leaders, especially the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, put pressure on the White House to change course, threatening to make this a major campaign issue.

So far, it looks like the compromise has pleased both sides. Planned Parenthood's President Cecile Richards said it "does not compromise a woman's ability to access this critical birth control benefits," and Sister Carol Keehan, the president of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, says she is "pleased and grateful that the religious liberty and conscience protection needs of so many ministries that serve our country were appreciated."

Which Would You Rather Give Up For a Month - Sex or Exercise?

Michele Foley — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:59:58 PST

The annual Bicycling Readers' Choice survey is out, and after reading through it, one statistic stood out to me: 58 percent of female respondents would choose cycling over sex, if they had to give up one or the other for a month. Men were split down the middle, with 50 percent responding that they would choose cycling over sex.

I admit, I am pretty shocked at this statistic - Bicycling's readership are a passionate group of cyclists! It made me wonder, if forced to choose, how many fitness devotees would do the same if they had to pick between exercise or sex for a month. When you think about it, a good amount of the benefits from each activity are identical: stress relief, improved heart health, and better sleep, to name a few.

3 Sexy Valentine's Day Dates to Keep You Healthy and Fit

Michele Foley — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:32:16 PST

Valentine's Day is always a good excuse to heat things up, and there's always a healthy, fun, and sexy way to celebrate the love-filled day, whether you're spending the holiday with friends or that special someone!

Girls Night Out: Pole Dancing Class
A pole dancing class is a frisky way for friends to celebrate Valentine's Day together. It's a little intimidating to swing around a pole while also letting out your sexier side, but when doing it with a group of your favorite girlfriends, it becomes easier. Besides being a great excuse to get together, this dance-inspired workout will help you tap into your sensual side while also helping tone muscles, firm the body, and increase flexibility. Once class is over, head out together for a glass of heart-healthy wine.

Group Date: Salsa Dancing
If a perfect date night for you involves getting together with other couples, charge things up by going salsa dancing. Besides being an easy way to burn calories, salsa is like flirting on the dance floor. From the rhythmic Latin beats to all that hip shaking, things are guaranteed to get hot. Don't be afraid to switch things up during the night. It's almost expected that you'll dance with different partners while out for a night of salsa dancing.

For You and Him: Couples Massage . . .
If you're going the traditional route and spending Valentine's Day with that special someone, indulge by getting a couple's massage. It will help you both relax, offer relief from stress, and ease muscle soreness that comes from exercise or the demands of the day. From there, cook a healthy dinner together and don't forget to get physical - and not at the gym! Valentine's Day is a good excuse to be intimate with your partner, especially given all the health benefits of having sex.