Burning Calories: Sex is More Effective Than A Treadmill

Unless you live under a rock you must have surely come across humor on sex which claims that it is a better and more enjoyable way to lose weight than any regular form of work-out. Therefore, be prepared to be surprised when it is proven to you that there is truth in this logic that goes beyond jokes, meaning chances of your losing more calories are higher while having sex as compared to running on a treadmill or exerting yourself through some other routine exercise.

To prove this theory, 21 heterosexual couples between ages 18 and 35 were chosen and instructed as per the guidelines of this research. Briefing given to the participants was based on the edict emphasized time and again by most health organizations which states that every individual must indulge in moderate physical activity for at least half-an-hour every day. In compliance with this rule, they had to undergo a 30-minute session on a treadmill and then were asked to measure the number of calories lost as a result of sexual activity at least once a week.

The equipment that was meant to facilitate this was a SenseWear armband and it had been designed to record all the requisite parameters without interfering in any way with the intimacy of the encounter or compromising on pleasure. On the basis of data collected it was deduced that majority, namely 98%, of the participants favored sex to the treadmill workout with the duration ranging between 10 and 57 minutes per session. 81% of the participants regarded sex as being more pleasure-giving than any other activity but overall it was found that men stood to gain more from calorie loss – 101 calories – as opposed to women who lost about 69 calories.

An obvious argument that can be made to debate these claims is that sex calls for a lot lesser movement than a treadmill workout or even some of the other forms of exercise and hence how is it plausible that it can cause a higher loss in calories? Scientists attribute this loss to the difference in intensity – a sexual encounter is characterized by an intensity that is much higher than that which marks any physical exercise. Hence, its veracity as an effective calorie loss regimen is definitely meant to be believed as a realistic claim.

Success of this theory is also attributed to the method of data collection used namely sensory armbands which enabled the participants to record near-accurate readings which hitherto had not be possible with its predecessor, the face masks.