Sex Workout, Get in Shape for Sex, Sex Cardio

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What's the secret to great sex? There are many, actually, but here's one you probably haven't heard much about: being in good physical shape.

Sex isn't strenuous, but it is exercise. Just as physical conditioning makes working out more enjoyable, getting in shape enhances lovemaking — especially for couples over 50. Try following

these seven simple health tips to stay as fit as possible.

1. Exercise daily

In a study of 1,709 men over 40, researchers found that the more the men exercised, the fewer sexual problems they reported. Why would that be? Because exercise increases blood flow to the

genitals. It boosts testosterone, which fuels libido in both genders. It also elevates mood, reduces insomnia, helps control weight, promotes deep relaxation, minimizes menopausal

discomforts and contributes to self-esteem. All six of those factors enhance libido and sexual satisfaction.

How you exercise doesn't matter. Do anything you enjoy: walking, swimming, yoga, dancing, golf, gardening — whatever. Just make sure you do it at least 30 minutes a day.

Regularity will benefit you more than intensity. It's better for health and sex to take a 45-minute walk every day, for example, than it is to hike five miles twice a month.

2. Eat more fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidant nutrients, which promote cardiovascular and neurological health. By contrast, meat, cheese, fast food, junk food and whole-milk dairy products

are not just low in antioxidants but high in cholesterol and saturated fat; those last two narrow the arteries, restricting essential blood flow to the genitals.

In a 2006 study, Italian researchers found that a Mediterranean diet — high in fruits and vegetables, low in meat — improves sexual function in men. Within two years after embracing a

Mediterranean diet, one-third of the men in the study who had erectile dysfunction reported restored erections. A year later, the same research team reported that a Mediterranean diet

improves women's sexual function as well. (Olives, anyone?)