I'm sure the idea of going out mid-coitus sounds like a great way to die- most men think so. However, having a massive coronary atop some poor woman because your bloated carcass can't handle the activity is not such a good way to be remembered.

It's no big secret that obesity is an issue. Practically every media source you pick up addresses the issue, and weight-loss is a multi-billion dollar industry. However, we aren't as inundated with information about how fitness affects us sexually - positive or negative.

Sex is a labor intensive activity. Your heart rate and breathing increase rapidly and dramatically. Muscles clench and remain tense over a period of time. Your core body temperature rises significantly even if it's not a marathon session. Eating right and getting enough exercise will help you maintain during sex. It also helps you to relieve stress and stimulate the production of endorphins - the feel-good hormone in your brain - which increases your sex drive and can potentially make your orgasms stronger. You don't have to be a super athlete by any means, but basic physical health will improve your sexual functioning.

As you may guess, unhealthy people suffer negative consequences in their sex lives. If you can't walk up a flight of stairs without running out of breath, how are you going to be able to handle the physical strains put on the body by sexual activity? And breathlessness could be the least of your worries. Hyper tension and high blood pressure, symptoms associated with obesity, can affect libido, or worse, hamper erectile functions. Plus, with tons of extra body mass, you have less ability to perform moves that require some agility.

Maintaining a healthy weight isn't so much about not being a fat bastard as it is keeping yourself alive for the sake of your loved one. If you're a married, middle-aged father with high blood pressure and Type II diabetes, your health does not only affect you. The shortness of breath and fatigue are your crosses to bear. The constant worry about if/when you will have that fatal heart attack, which cancer you may develop, and the agony of losing a loved one too soon, are the burdens your poor health choices put on your family members. Your wife could begin to resent the pain you're willing to put her through so you can eat fried food, and resentment is no aphrodisiac.

Michael Webb
©2009

Show All Articles By Michael Webb