Is running the ultimate love drug?

Running has a multitude of positive effects and benefits to the body, the mind and the soul. But did you know it can also improve your love life and sex drive?

Here are a few of running’s lesser known, intimate advantages.

• Improved blood flow. Exercise improves overall vascularization and function including to the sex organs. This can lead to greater sensations of sexual arousal and pleasure.
• Higher testosterone levels. For guys, this hormone regulates sex drive. Exercise, including running, is shown to boost levels for up to 48 hours as well as prevent age-related baseline decreases.
• Greater reliability. Guys who exercise report significantly  less erectile dysfunction and impotence. They also report having more sex, more often.
• Improved endurance and stamina. All jokes aside, guys in better shape last longer in bed.
• Flexibility. Pulling a muscle beneath the sheets is a real risk, but one that fitter individuals need to worry a whole lot less about. It can also make sex more adventurous.
• It puts you in the mood. Exercise is known to improve focus and attention which can come in handy during sex. Couples who run together also report having more sex on the days they run.
• Confidence matters. Those who exercise regularly report feeling greater levels of confidence and self-esteem. That carries over into the bedroom, where those who exercise regularly report above average sexual attractiveness, desirability and performance.