Study: Most sex is really terrible exercise

Study: The average sex session burns 21 calories, which is the equivalent of two navel orange segments

Published September 17, 2013 9:50PM (EDT)

      (<a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-308719p1.html?searchterm=exercise%20gym'> Vereshchagin Dmitry </a> via <a href='http://www.shutterstock.com/'>Shutterstock</a>)
( Vereshchagin Dmitry via Shutterstock)

Bad news for those of you who thought you could bang your way out of a gym membership: standard coitus is a pretty poor substitute for regular exercise, like that CrossFit business all the nice young fascists are getting into these days.

According to a study from the New England Journal of Medicine, the average sex session lasts six minutes and burns approximately 21 calories, the equivalent of two navel orange segments. Thirty minutes of sex burns between 85 - 100 calories, the equivalent of 16 - 20 Skittles.

Here is a researcher from the New England Journal of Medicine explaining more about these very important findings:

h/t Jezebel


By Katie McDonough

Katie McDonough is Salon's politics writer, focusing on gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

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