As if dealing with belly fat wasn’t enough. Plummeting estrogen levels and reduced testosterone during peri and post menopause can put a damper on your sex life. Women between 45 and 64 report more reduced satisfaction with their romantic life than either younger or older adults.
If you can identify with a waning libido, you’re not alone. According to the Asian Congress of Sexology (who knew?), 20% of testosterone prescriptions are written for women. Yet, it’s still a subject not many women talk about with their doctors, so far more instances probably go unreported. Give women a chance to write in anonymously, as I’ve done as a health coach, and it’s apparent there are many women who deal with low libido, sometimes for years, without getting help.
While some women actually find midlife sex hotter it’s likely frustrating for you and your partner if you’re in the group of sexually dissatisfied. So what’s a girl to do? Could a gym membership be your best aphrodisiac? Science says yes. In today’s sexology class we look at how to change your exercise prescription for a boost in the bedroom.
The right type and timing of exercise can positively affect your hormones in and out of the bedroom. Call it your sexercise prescription. Testosterone is one hormone that plays a big role in maintenance of muscle, strength, bone density as well as mood, and sexual desire. Growth hormone influences muscle repair, and too much cortisol can interfere with any positive exercise influence. Your goal is to increase the positive influencers and mitigate the level of stress triggered by exercise. Here’s how to do just that.
Exchange endurance activity for interval training.
A study in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found shorter bouts of interval training compared to 45 minutes of steady state exercise produced greater testosterone levels.
Try this simple interval once a week to start. Increase to twice a week and vary the impact by doing different activities if possible. Warm up 5-10 minutes at a light level. Do one minute of “hard” intensity exercise. Recover for 1-2 minutes (longer if you’re new to intervals). Repeat the intervals for 20 minutes. Cool down 5 minutes. Intervals take a little more recovery time. The rest between enhances your exercise benefits. With too much of a good you get tired but not better.
Replace “arm day” with full body exercises using heavy weights.
Heavy weights boost both growth hormone and testosterone production. Both hormones help spare muscle loss that occurs with age. You want compound exercises like squats, presses, and pulls. It’s not that I discriminate against your biceps and triceps, but you won’t see tone there if you don’t get the right hormone response first. If you look more toned and defined you’re going to have a better body image. Looking good naked can’t hurt your sex life.
Two to three times a week do 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions. Adults over 50 often find they get better results with more recovery. If you don’t find your strength increasing weight training three times a week, reduce your frequency to twice a week with more rest days between.
Consider lifting weights on date night to take advantage of the acute response of your androgen hormones – including testosterone.
Exercise early in the day when possible.
In addition to intervals and heavy weight training increasing testosterone and growth hormone levels they also mitigate cortisol response to exercise. Done at the right time of day this works even better. Work with your natural cortisol levels by keeping high intensity early and more calming exercise to late in the day. You’re more likely to be in the mood if you aren’t so stressed.
Exercise to sleep more.
Early in the day high intensity exercise and late day relaxation exercises help you sleep best. While you may be hoping for something other than sleep in bed, the more time you spend in deep sleep the greater boost in growth hormone release, making exercise pay better dividends.
If you’ve got chronic insomnia don’t wait for a good night’s sleep to exercise. Even 10 minutes of exercise – of any level - during the day boosts self-reported sleep quality by 33%.
Fuel your exercise.
If you’re trying to shave off a few pounds to create a more seductive you, don’t skimp on the protein. You need it to maintain lean muscle. Do lose the alcohol, which can deplete zinc and Vitamin D. Low zinc and D are both associated with low testosterone. Be conscious of your magnesium too.
Nosh on nuts, pumpkin seeds, fish, seafood, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables to bump your intake of nutrients that help testosterone production.
Exercise your mood.
Women more than men suffer from depression. Whether you’re taking certain medications that might decrease your libido, or not, exercise can naturally boost serotonin levels and other feel good hormones: dopamine, endorphins. The better you feel, the better you want to feel, if you know what I mean. For the best mood boost exercise outdoors in natural sunlight and do it with a friend.
Exercise horizontally.
Your cure may lie in the very activity you’ve lost interest in for two reasons. One, it’s a muscle too. You will have more elasticity and therefore more enjoyment the more frequently you flex it. Second, there is research evidence of small increases of testosterone levels in women following arousal.
If you’re just plain exhausted don’t add more exhaustive exercise to your schedule. Try slowing things down first with relaxing exercise for a week or more to decrease your stress levels while you focus on quality sleep and nutrition. When you’re feeling more recharged start adding weights, then intervals, and ultimately the horizontal mambo.