There are a slew of reasons to have sex, from procreation to promoting intimacy to having fun to getting that heart rate up. So if you're looking for a way to stay active and feel good, perhaps learning how many calories sex burns, if any, can help. Depending on how "frisky" you and your partner are during sex, you may be out of breath and sweaty when you finish, making it feel like even more of a workout than a brisk walk or weight training session. But while sex will burn calories, the amount of calories you burn relies on a few factors, starting with the number of calories you typically burn during any type of physical activity.
"[The number of calories you burn] depends a little bit on your weight," Dr. Teju Adegoke, M.D., MPH, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston Medical Center, and founder of WISH (Wellness in Sexual Health), tells Woman's Day. "It depends a little bit on your current cardiovascular endurance, and it probably depends on the exact activity that you're engaging in."
The positions you're in and the specific things you and your partner do during sex can have an effect on how many calories you burn during a romp in the sheets. "If you're on top, you'll get your heart rate up higher than in positions like missionary because you're the one controlling thrusting and movement," Gigi Engle, SKYN Condoms sex and intimacy expert, tells Woman's Day. But it's not just the actual sexual activity that burns calories. Everything leading up to it does, too.
Based on the body weight of a 150-pound woman, here are seven different ways you can burn calories during sex, along with tips from experts on how to ramp things up to burn even more during your next session.
Kissing: 68 calories per hour
Remember how, when you first started dating and (perhaps) strictly going to first base, you'd start locking lips only to come up for air about 30 minutes later? Well, not only can kissing deepen social attachment between partners, according to Nature, a research community that focuses on societal interactions, but it can also help get a few rounds of exercise in.
"If the kissing is vigorous and involves some petting, it could be even closer to 90 calories burned in an hour," Jaiya Kinzbach, a Los Angeles-based sexologist and the author of Red Hot Touch, tells Woman's Day.
If you're looking to turn kissing into an honest-to-goodness workout session," Kinzbach suggests you "kiss in unusual positions. Have the guy on his back, and do 'plank pose' or a push-up on top of him, coming down to kiss him and then pushing back up. Push-ups burn 171 calories in 30 minutes."
Making Out: 230 calories per half-hour
A sizzling clothes-on make-out session with the person you love can be an intense caloric blaster yet. Why? Anticipation can get your heart rate going, Gilda Carle, PhD, a psychotherapist and relationship expert, tells Woman's Day. "It gives way to heavy breathing, which gives way to a great calorie burn," she explains.
But you can still maximize the workout by making it hotter and sweatier. "The hotter the room — think Bikram (also known as "hot" yoga) — and the sweatier the make-out session, the more calories you burn," Kinzbach adds. Also, try rolling around on the bed or changing your scenery. "Make it playful and erotic, and you have a great combination for a pleasurable workout."
Massaging: 80 calories per hour
Who doesn't like a good rubdown from their partner? Well, if you're the giver, you get another benefit (besides making your significant other happy): burned calories.
Carole Lieberman, M.D., a Beverly Hills psychiatrist and author, told Everyday Health that giving a massage burns 80 calories per hour. Though it can get your heart rate up, and kick your body into calorie-burning mode, the way to ramp things up even more while giving the massage isn't to speed things up.
Instead, consider going slower, recommends Kinzbach. "This may seem counterintuitive to burning calories, but going slower and deeper is not only more sensual, it works different muscles. I also recommend getting a massage table — it's better on your body and standing to give a massage burns more calories."
Having Sex: 69 calories on average
The number of calories you burn during sex varies widely from one session to another, as well as from person to person. Researchers at the University of Montreal asked 21 heterosexual couples between the ages of 18 and 35 to have sex once per week for a period of four weeks while wearing an activity tracker to monitor calories. The study published in PLOS ONE found that, on average, women burned about 69 calories during a 25-minute session, while men burned around 100 calories. Couples therapist and sexologist Isiah McKimmie echoes that sentiment. "It's not actually as much as we might think," she tells Woman's Day. "It's only a little more than going for a walk."
According to experts, the key to high-calorie-burning sex is to make it hot and long. "The longer and more vigorous your sexual activity is, the more calories you'll burn," McKimmie explains. You can also add a little moaning and sighing, which can help you burn an extra 18 to 30 calories, Kinzbach adds.
Switching up the position can also give you a better workout, as well as keep your sex life exciting. "If you are on top, try moving your hips like a belly dancer; this feels great and will give you a workout," Kinzbach recommends. "Also try a position where you squat on top of them, and then bounce up and down. This is a great workout for your thighs and butt, and it can burn up to 207 calories in 30 minutes."
Giving Oral Sex: 100 calories per half-hour
According to trainer Brooke Marrone, owner of Brooke Marrone Fitness in New York, going down on your partner can burn around 100 calories every 30 minutes. And if you want to burn even more fat, Kinzbach recommends trying to give your partner oral sex while doing push-ups.
"Also you can do a little yoga," Kinzbach says, which tacks on an 35 additional calories. "Try plank position into downward facing dog and back into plank where you can lower down and do some oral stimulation."
Using Your Hands: 100 calories per hour
Of course, the old-fashioned hand job is a calorie-burner. According to a blog post written by Alyssa Dweck, M.D. and gynecologist, "giving a hand job can burn up to 100 calories an hour depending on vigor and position."
You can burn an additional 50 calories per half-hour by taking things up a notch, Kinzbach says. "Get lots of stuff going at once," she suggests. "Try really slow sensual strokes, and position yourself so that you can use your body as well." Rocking your body against theirs and varying the pressure and frequency can help, too, she adds.
Romantic Dancing: 219 calories per hour
A little dancing — even with your clothes on — can be a great workout for you and your partner. According to Mayo Clinic, ballroom dancing burns 219 calories per hour.
"It has been shown in scientific studies that right after an aerobic exercise, women become aroused and lubricated more easily," Barbara Bartlik, M.D., a New York-based psychiatrist and sex therapist, tells Woman's Day. Slow dancing is fine, but you have to rev things up to get a real workout, like kissing, nibbling the neck, and touching while dancing, Kinzbach says.
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