Health Supports Sex...Sex Supports Health!

Last week on Facebook, quite a few people posted an image with the message: "Describe your sex life with a movie title." I scrolled past it quite a few times down my newsfeed and it got me thinking...

...about how beneficial sex is to our health. I know, I'm such a nerd and always have to somehow tie wellness into every little aspect of my life and thoughts! But for real, sex is great for way much more than just burning some calories (actually sex burns about 5 calories per minute). Check out how a great sex life can:

Keep you healthy: Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections.

Mellow you out: Life is stressful, and while there are many known ways to ease it like breathing deeply, practicing yoga, exercising, etc....a good ol' fashion roll in the hay helps it too! Though blood pressure levels spike during the act itself, maintaining a healthy sex life helps us keep blood pressure and stress levels low. Also, having an orgasm curbs irritability and releases tension. So, get busy!

Tone pelvic floor muscles: Unfortunately, when we age (especially women), our muscles "down there" tend to weaken resulting in some issues with pee pee control. Good thing is, sex tones the pelvic muscles that support your uterus, bladder, and bowel, meaning better control.

Give you a youthful glow: Ever notice that obvious glow exuding from you after a dance in the sheets (despite the messy sex bed-head!)? In addition to boosting self-esteem and confidence, sex increases the production of human growth hormone, which is known to improve muscle tone to help slow the aging process. Cool thing too, researchers are also finding that those who enjoy their sex lives tend to live a good 8-10 years longer!

Not only does being healthy support your sex life, but sex actually supports your health! Back to that cheesy Facebook question...what movie best describes your sex life (or desired one)? Mine is no better described than Baby & Johnny gettin' busy to Solomon Burke in the Dirty Dancing scene above!!!!