Why hit the gym when you can work out in bed?

There are many physical and mental health benefits of sex that go beyond the bedroom. Countless studies prove that sex has many positive impacts to the mind and body, and is good for you in many ways that you may not have thought about before.

If you were wondering if sex is good for your health, the answer is definitely “yes.” Let’s explore the five benefits that sex has on the human mind and body, and why having more and better sex, may be the solution to some of your health challenges.

1. Provides AMAZING Stress Relief
A great benefit of regular sex is that it lowers blood pressure and overall stress. Hence the common joke about men and women who seemingly need an attitude adjustment or “happy pill” needing to just “get laid.” When engaged in sexual activity, there are many chemicals that play a role in the positive side effects of sex.

The main players are dopamine, the reward hormone, prolactin, the hormone of satiation, oxytocin the “cuddle hormone” and levels of androgen receptors. All of these powerfully affect our desire for intimacy and our susceptibility to addictive activities and substances. So if you’re feeling stressed out, I suggest you solve it by taking it to the bedroom; it’s a fun remedy, even if it’s temporary.

2. Burns Some Serious Calories
If you are looking for a great alternative to jumping on the treadmill or hitting the gym to burn calories, you may want to trade gym time for “sexercise.” Having sex is a great alternative to increased cardiovascular health, better flexibility and muscle tone.

There are varied studies about how many calories sex can actually burn. Depending on your sexual activity and rigorousness of sex, you can burn anywhere from 200 – 700 calories in one session, and the physical and psychological benefits go hand in hand.

The average calorie burn for sex is about 85 calories for half an hour. If you are more rambunctious, you can double this number. This equates to losing about one pound after 21 hours. If you want to increase your overall calorie burn, you can increase the intensity and length of your sessions. Here’s a little break down of the calorie burn for each sexual activity:

Foreplay: Even your “warm-up” burns calories. You can burn up to 25 calories every 15 minutes of foreplay based on a 150 pound person.

Massage: A sensual massage can burn up to 80 calories per hour, and is obviously a fun and enjoyable activity for both partners.

Performing oral sex: Can burn up to 100 calories per half an hour.

Having an orgasm: If you want to top off the calorie-burning, reaching orgasm can burn an additional 60 to 100 calories. To increase this count, you don’t have to stop at just one.

The secret? Put more time, passion and energy into your activity and enjoy the benefits!

3. Increase Life Longevity
They say that an active sex life slows the aging process, and it has been proven that men who have regular sex will actually reduce the risk of heart attack. Any caring partner that knows sex lowers blood pressure and boosts cardio health should encourage frequent sex, right? Sex can reduce the risk of fatal heart attack, increase immunity and improve cardiovascular health.

With all of these benefits combined, you will live longer than those who do not engage in regular sex. Studies have revealed that regular sex can extend one’s life span by up to 7-8 years! I don’t know about you, but I’ll take more sex over a casket any day of the week.

4. Improves Self-Esteem (That’s Right!)
Do you want to know why the men and women in those Viagra commercials are all smiling, whistling, jumping and skipping while walking to work? Sexual activity actually improves one’s self-esteem. A major reason why many people choose to have sex is to feel better about themselves; it’s a great side effect especially when you need a little boost.

5. Lowers The Risk Of Cancer
It may relieve men to know that increased ejaculations will lower the risk of prostate cancer. Studies have shown that guys in their 20s who “get off” five or more times a week reduce their risk of getting prostate cancer by a third, whereas older men with 21 or more ejaculations per month were linked to lower prostate cancer.

A 1989 study in France found that women who had less sex or no sex at all had three times the risk of breast cancer compared to those that had sex more frequently.

Basically: If you want to live a healthier, longer and happier life, sex is a great solution.

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Barbara Walters just named the brilliant and beautiful Amal Clooney the Most Fascinating Person of the Year. (We’re sure her handsome husband George Clooney agrees) The two recently tied the knot in Venice, Italy. Swoon! The famously secretive couple had all of Hollywood gushing over their nuptuals (and we were, too!).

But who is Amal? She’s more than just a pretty face, we will tell you that much. A stunning and seriously smart brunette, Amal Clooney (previously Alamuddin) is the whole package—and just what George has been waiting all this time for!

The duo were married during a jam-packed weekend of festivities. But fanfare over the gorgeous ceremony aside—Amal Alamuddin Clooney is a seriously interesting woman with a lot of power and a humanitarian heart. Instead of praising her for being the one to finally tame the (formerly) eternal Hollywood bachelor that is George Clooney, we should say, “Way to go George! You are a lucky man!” Because she is a catch alright—a beautiful one.

Go ahead, take a click through this slideshow and get to know why Amal Clooney is truly a fascinating lady.

Let us know what surprised you most!

1. She’s the brainiest gal George Clooney has ever been with!

Alamuddin got her English law degree at Oxford University, then continued her education at the NYU School of Law. She nabbed the Jack K. Katz Memorial award for her accomplishment in the field of law when her studies were done. She even spent a semester as a clerk for now-Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor!

She later was named to the litigation department of Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City, practicing both domestic and international law for three years.

2. And has an INSANE job!

Alamuddin currently is a barrister in the U.K.’s Doughty Street Chambers firm, specializing in international, criminal, human rights and extradition laws.

3. With some seriously high profile legal clients!

Aside from being named to several United Nations commissions, bombshell listed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a client and acts as an advisor to U.N. Security General Kofi Annan on relations in Syria. Uh, awesome.

4. She’s tri-lingual!

She speaks English, Arabic and French fluently. That can probably come in handy for Clooney when he’s doing overseas press and needs a translator!

5. She let George Clooney woo her!

Amal and George dated for quite a while! The duo was first spotted together in October 2013, when Clooney reportedly poured on the charm. “She was flirting like crazy while he was just playing it cool,” a spy told PEOPLE.

At the time, Clooney was also linked to a few other women, including model Monika Jakisic. He once denied all the dating rumors, but that changed after Alamuddin joined him at a Monuments Men screening at the White House. “His arm was around her shoulder and she had hers around his,” a witness told PEOPLE. “They just seemed very, very together.”

World War II vet and Monuments Men inspiration Harry Ettlinger, 88, also told the mag, “They were holding hands … [Alamuddin] is a beautiful lady. I said to myself, ‘George, you did a lot of good things and you sure know how to pick them!'”

No kidding. Congrats to the newlyweds!

The post 5 Reasons We Absolutely LOVE Amal Clooney! appeared first on 12thBLOG.

Idris Elba may be the next James Bond. This is the best thing ever.

When Sony was hacked and their private email conversations were released to the public, a lot of insider movie news was revealed to the public. One of the more interesting reveals was that Idris Elba may be the next James Bond. By interesting, I mean the best news and this is awesome and I really hope it happens, because how can you not love Idris Elba?!

If you don’t know, James Bond is a long running franchise about a suave British spy named, well, James Bond. To keep the character young, every few years the actor playing him gets recast. Daniel Craig is the current James Bond, and he’s had a great run. Craig is going to star in the next Bond movie, slated for release next year, but it may be his last. Sony may have already decided who will replace him, and Elba is an awesome choice.

The only complaint anyone has made about Elba is that he’s black and James Bond is white. That’s a dumb complaint. Elba is a great actor and is perfect for this role, and James Bond can totally be black. Why? Because James Bond’s race is not an issue because James Bond is not a real person. He can be whatever the writers decide him to be. He could be portrayed by a potato if the writers decided that it made sense.

Idris Elba is a great actor, and he also seems like a pretty cool guy. In celebration of this (potential) casting, here are ten reasons why we love him!

He always gives a cool answer. I feel bad for whoever asked the question that warranted this response.

You never know what his face is going to do next, but you know that it will be awesome.

He’s clapping in this gif because he just looked in the mirror and remembered who he was.

Watching him when he’s acting intense makes me feel like I need to come clean about crimes I didn’t even commit.

I have no idea what he’s doing here, but it still looks pretty sweet.

This is the most James Bond thing anyone has ever said. Not even Sean Connery has come this close.

He knows how to develop a strong argument.

I will never ask a question ever again for the rest of my life. Only statements.

Pacific Rim should’ve just been titled Idris Elba Giving Speeches. It would’ve done wayyyy better at the box office.

The post 10 Reasons Why We Love Idris Elba As The New James Bond appeared first on 12thBLOG.

Married sex is like the redheaded stepchild of the booty world – at least, according to TV and movies. In that world, married sex is overly lit and played for laughs, whereas all the other kinds of sex – casual sex, new sex, cheating sex, ex sex – get the sultry soundtrack and rumpled sheets.

So we are here to remind you of ten reasons – yes, we managed to come up with ten – why married sex is awesome.

1. You have advanced degrees in each other’s bodies.

You know where to let your hands wander – and where not to. Your partner knows exactly what you like – and what you can’t stand – so you won’t ever again have to figure out a nice way of saying, “What is that weird thing you keep doing with your nose during oral sex? And can you please not do it ever again?”

2. Good sex can happen fast when you need it to.

Those advanced degrees mean that sex doesn’t always need to take an hour. Because five minutes of getting the job done is better than forty-five minutes of ineffectual dilly-dallying, especially when you have to be up with the birds the next morning.

Also, it’s okay to say, “Wanna have sex as soon as my show is finished?” In fact, sometimes that’s all it takes to get in the mood.

3. Sex can be hilarious.

All the stuff that used to mortify you when you were single and dating is now more entertaining than a reel of news bloopers: unexpected bodily emissions (a well-timed queef can be entertaining for days); trying and failing at a complicated position; accidentally getting certain substances in your ear during the money shot; a pillow that keeps getting in your way like an unwelcome third wheel; etc., etc.

4. You can be fully in the moment.

Yeah, yeah, we know there are kids and work problems and dirty laundry and all the usual life stuff that can distract you from good sex. That’s life.

But you’re not distracted by thinking, Does this person really like me? I wonder if I’ll ever hear from them again? I wonder what they think of my boob size/penis size/oral technique? Should I stay the night? Will I climax? Did my partner climax? Did they just wince when I got near their nipples? Where did my nose ring go?

And so on and on and on and on.

5. You make your own normal.

Forget about the Joneses, they’re not sleeping in your bed. When you’re married, you’re each other’s yardstick for what’s “normal.”

If you like sex once a month – and the two of you agree on this – then that’s your normal. If you both like a strict diet of missionary, then that’s cool too. You swing every other Friday with the neighbors? Then it’s just your typical Friday night.

Whatever positions, whatever schedule, whatever approach – whatever works for the two of you is all good, and screw everyone else.

6. Kink works better.

Really naughty sex requires negotiation, communication, and trust. When you’re married, you (should) have these things in spades, and they’re not buzz kills, either!

So you can experiment with bondage, power roles, sharing fantasies, even pain, and it’s much less likely that someone will end up in the emergency room (or in tears)! Plus, the more intimate and domestic and settled your day-to-day life is, the hotter it is to break out the handcuffs at night.

7. STDs are a think of the past (if you’re a monogamous married couple).

So long, condoms. So long, crabs. So long, douchey partners who lie about their sexual history. So long, that late-night panic of, “Is that herpes or just a really big pimple?!”

8. Simultaneous orgasms.

Sure, these aren’t guaranteed with married sex, but the more times you sleep with the same person – someone you love and trust and are committed to – the more likely this is to happen.

You know each other’s timing, each other’s bodies, each other’s hot spots, and you’ll be comfortable bringing vibrating toys to bed to help even the orgasmic playing field. (You are comfortable doing that, yes? Because if you’re not, then you’re not doing married sex right!)

9. You can take each other for granted.

Not that you should do this all the time, but you’re allowed to do it some of the time.

Assuming you have a healthy marriage and you communicate well and often, sex will probably be there for you when you need it – at least at some point, even if it’s not as often as you’d like.

You don’t need to hit the town and hope you get lucky. You don’t always need to shave your legs. You don’t need to suck in your stomach and present your good side.

Warning: If you take married sex (or your married love) for granted too often, you may find married sex less reliable than it used to be!

10. You can get better.

Sex doesn’t automatically get better over time, but it does if you want it to! And having sex doesn’t necessarily make you better at sex – after all, everyone is different in bed – but having sex with the same person, over and over again, absolutely makes you better at having sex with that same person.

In other words, married people have no excuse not to be sex gods and goddesses – at least in the eyes of their spouse!

The post 10 Reasons “Sleeping With” Your Husband Is AWESOME appeared first on 12thBLOG.