Every now and again, we get these quirky-type surveys that land in our inboxes, the most recent being the top 10 European countries burning the most calories during sex.
The research, conducted by Total Shape, analysed data on key calorie-burning indicators in each European country, including the average weight of men and women and the calories calculated by the average duration of the activity in seconds.
The Czech Republic came in first place for burning the most calories during 10 minutes of sex, with couples burning 168.59 calories.
The nation that finished off in tenth positition was Norway, burning 164.13 calories on average during 10 minutes of sex.
After scouring the depths of the internet to find out if any comparable stats existed for South Africa, we came up short.
But this got us thinking, how many calories can one burn on average during sex, and most importantly, can getting intimate be seen as a form of exercise?
According to Healthline, several studies done in the past have concentrated on sex and calorie-burning.
One study in particular from the University of Quebec at Montreal, found that even thought sex didn’t burn as much calories as moderate exercise, it was still worth noting. Or doing.
Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine came up with, shall we say real life, stats.
These researchers stated that the average bout of sexual activity lasts for only about six minutes, meaning that a man in his early-to-mid 30s could burn approximately 21 calories during sexual intercourse.
Surprising, women faired much better and could burn up to 69 calories or 3.1 calories per minute, a 2022 article from Insider cited.
And this brings us to the final question...
While chatting to WebMD, Dr Joseph J. Pinzone explained that “sex is a really great form of exercise,” but it “won’t replace the treadmill.”
According to Pinzone, sex burns up to five calories per minute, which is a whole FOUR more calories than watching TV, whether it is soapies or Rugby World Cup.
“Like with exercise, consistency helps maximise the benefits,” Pinzone concluded.