6 Exercises Every Woman Should Do to Improve Her Sex Life
(Photos: Travis McCoy/travismccoy.com)
You’re only one workout away from a better sex life! Not only can you lose weight, sculpt a strong, lean body and make your endorphins to soar, you can also count on exercise to make your time in the sack more enjoyable. And research indicates that improved body image as well as doing as little as 20 minutes of exercise a day enables you to enjoy sex more and be more sexually aroused. Flexibility is crucial for better sex. It helps alleviate aches and pains and allows you and your partner to experiment with positions that may otherwise be difficult. Check out these six exercises and stretches you can do to enhance your time under the covers.
1. Bridge Pose This pose strengthens the glutes, inner thighs and hamstrings and provides an excellent hip-flexor stretch. Because the pelvis is inverted, bridge pose awakens the pelvic-floor muscles and can reinforce the female sex organs. This can lead to stronger, more controlled orgasms.
HOW TO DO IT: Begin on the floor on your back. Lengthen through your fingertips with your arms on the floor by your sides. With your feet flat on the ground, hip-distance apart, slowly lift your buttocks off the floor. As you hold the posture, keep your knees from splaying outward and press through your heels with your weight evenly distributed across your feet. Do not allow your feet to roll outward. Hold the pose for 30 seconds to a minute. When you are ready to come down, lower your spine one vertebra at a time, all the way down to the tailbone.
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2. Pelvic Tilt Pulses This exercise strengthens your core and lower back, which are used often during sex. Pelvic tilt pulses will also awaken the lower abdominal region and prepare your body for Kegels.
HOW TO DO THEM: Lie on the floor with your knees bent, feet hip-distance apart and arms, hands and fingertips flat on the floor. Pressing through your heels, lift your pelvis and glutes to bring your torso into a straight line (as in bridge pose). Hold your abs tight as you continue to press through the heels, squeeze the glutes and inner thighs and slightly pulse the pelvis up and down (just a couple of inches, not the full range of motion). Do 20 to 25 pulses, then slowly lower the spine, vertebra by vertebra, until you feel your tailbone touch the floor. Repeat, working up to three to five sets.
3. Kegels The pelvic-floor muscles play an integral part in orgasm and Kegels are an easy way to improve the strength of those muscles. Additionally, they provide great sexual satisfaction and stronger orgasms (especially when Kegels are done during sex) by targeting the muscles that tighten and release during sex, making the entire experience more pleasurable for both you and your partner.
HOW TO DO THEM: You can do Kegels anywhere — sitting, standing or lying down. Focus on tightening those pelvic floor muscles (as though you’re attempting to stop the flow of urine). Hold for three to five seconds and repeat. Do that for five minutes a day or throughout the day.
4. Happy Baby Pose This is an excellent stretch for the lower back, glutes and hamstrings as well as an excellent hip opener. It is a great counterstretch to upward dog because it relaxes and opens tight lower-body muscles.
HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back with knees bent in toward the chest, the soles of your feet flexed and parallel to the ceiling. Line your ankles up with your knees so your shins are vertical. Keep your tailbone down as you grab the outsides of your feet with your hands and pull them down so the knees move toward the floor on the outsides of your rib cage. Relax your neck and breathe deeply, lengthening the breath as you go. With each exhale, and without compromising form, pull the knees toward the floor. Hold this pose for three to five minutes.
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5. Stability-Ball Pull-Ins A strong core is essential in preventing injuries to your back when having sex. This exercise works your core (which provides a support system for your back) as well as your upper body, boosting your endurance for on-top positions.
HOW TO DO THEM: Start in a plank position with your shins supported on a stability ball. Keep your arms straight and strong. Slowly roll the ball in, using your abs to bend your knees toward the floor as you drag the ball toward your chest. Slowly roll the ball back out as you straighten your legs. Keep your upper body and hips strong throughout the range of motion to prevent injuring your lower back. Don’t hunch your shoulders and lengthen through the crown of the head. For an added challenge, lift one leg off the ball as you roll the ball forward with the other leg. Then switch legs. Do two to three sets of 10 reps.
6. Open-Leg Rocker Risa Sheppard, Master Pilates Certification Trainer and founder of The Sheppard Method in Los Angeles, recommends this pose to enhance your sex life for a variety of reasons. “Open-leg rocker is essential for improving balance through core control and strength. As we strengthen our core, which includes the pelvic girdle, lower back and abdominals, it awakens not only the muscles, but all the pathways that help to enhance our sexual pleasure,” she says.
HOW TO DO IT: Sit upright with your knees bent into your chest, legs about shoulder-width apart. Lengthen through the crown of your head, roll your shoulders back and down and lift your chest so your back is strong. Grasp your ankles on the outside of the legs. Pull your naval deep into your spine and lean back until you are balanced on your tailbone with your feet off the floor. Straighten both legs toward the ceiling in an open V position and balance, your arms strong and straight. To initiate the rocking, inhale, naval to the spine, and bring your chin to your chest. Keeping your head tucked, roll backward, stopping the action and reversing it before you get to your neck. Upon return, stop and balance on the tailbone, legs open and up toward the ceiling. If you need to modify the exercise, do everything except straightening your legs.
The original article “15 Exercises Every Woman Should Do to Improve Her Sex Life" appeared on LIVESTRONG.COM
By Lisa Jey Davis
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