Kick-Start Your Marriage
with Fitness by Lena Katz
Remember the
honeymoon days? Pre-PTA, pre-Pampers, even pre-pregnancy? It was easy, back
then, for you and your honey to find time for each other. Normal to feel a
little buzz of excitement when your eyes met across the room.
Obviously, that
fizzy honeymoon feeling can't last forever—everybody knows that reality
has to kick in at some point. Inevitably, kids and careers start to sap the
energy that was once devoted to your relationship. But that doesn't mean that
romance has to be a distant memory. In fact, according to a study by the
American Council on Exercise (ACE), regular exercise could be the key to unlock
your extra reserves of va-va-voom.
"Yes, I've heard
that before," you say. "But why would an hour of cardio give me extra energy?
Wouldn't it be just the opposite?"
Well, no. In
laymen's terms, exercise gets your blood pumping and makes you feel like a
teenager again. In fact, studies published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (June 2004) and the Annals of Internal Medicine
(August 2003) showed that exercise and a reduced-calorie diet significantly
improved the ability of men, particularly those over 50, to perform in the
bedroom.
For women, the
effects of exercise and a healthy lifestyle might be psychological as much as
physical. According to a recent article in the Electronic Journal of Human
Sexuality, people who exercise regularly perceive themselves as more
desirable than those who don't.
But did we really
need a study to convince us of that?
If you're like
most people, the only "expert opinion" necessary is that of your significant
other—and the only "expert results" you need to hear are along the lines
of, "Wow, you look great!" or "Hey, sexy thing . . . come over here and give me
a kiss." We're willing to bet that the light in your sweetie's eyes when they
admire the newer, sleeker, more confident you will be all you need to rekindle
the spark in your marriage. |
