“It’s very well documented that exercise will improve sexual arousal for women,” says Tierney Lorenz, PhD, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. While moderate levels of aerobic exercise, like jogging a mile or two at a steady pace, spike arousal levels for 15 to 45 minutes afterward, research shows that adding weights to the mix makes the effect last. “A moderate to intense strength training workout increases the arousal window to about 90 minutes,” Dr. Lorenz says. “We tested exercise sessions about 30 minutes long, but I imagine at least 20 minutes would be sufficient. Shorter than that and the body will recover too quickly to take advantage of the effect.” Here’s how it works: Exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system, which gets your blood pumping for physical activity, and also has the happy benefit of upping arousal levels. And when your workout helps raise (or lower) your sympathetic nervous system to a moderate level—as all exercise does—your body becomes more physically and mentally primed to be responsive to sexual cues. In other words, getting your blood pumping at the right level can lead to sustained arousal. While weighted workouts take longer to get your nervous system in that middle range, you’ll be able to sustain it for longer, meaning you’ll stay excitable for longer, too. MORE: The Ultimate At-Home Pilates Workout
