The first time I teetered to the top of a fourteener, I spent the descent daydreaming about a second kind of mounting. (Yes, I’m talking sex here.) But after I’d downed my celebratory kombucha at the base, climbing on top of my partner was the last thing I was in the mood for.
As personal as it seemed, my lack of interest in sex after my taxing trek wasn’t just a me problem. It’s a fairly common phenomenon among outdoor aficionados who train long and hard. Research indicates that too much or too little exercise can make sex unappealing.
Exercise adheres to the “Goldilocks principle,” explains Lyndsey Harper, MD, the founder and CEO of Rosy, a sexual health wellness technology platform. Like in the well-known fairytale, it’s all about finding the right balance.
Why Outdoor Activity Supports Your Sex Drive
Exercise impacts sex drive in a number of ways, according to Harper. For starters, movement supports the circulation of blood throughout the body, she says. “Blood flow to the genitals is the first physiologic step in arousal,” says Stephanie Hack, MD, the founder of the Lady Parts Doctor podcast. If…
