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Bedroom antics have health benefits that will make you feel better, look younger and live for longer

GET THE BLOOD MOVING

Skipped the gym this morning? Have a mattress workout instead. Your body undergoes many physical changes during arousal. Your skin flushes, more energy is used up as heat, your pulse races, blood pressure rises and you breathe more deeply. These changes all help boost your metabolic rate, says Siobhan Kelly, author of Wild Guide To Sex And Loving (£9.30, Ulysses Press). And all you’ve done so far is look at her in her underwear.’

Heart rates during sex itself are similar to those that occur during intense exercise and have similar health benefits. The advantage over the treadmill being that you never ask, ‘When can I get off?’

FIGHT HEART DISEASE

Research in Caerphilly, South Wales, in which the health of 914 middle-aged men was monitored for up to 20 years showed that the most sexually active reduced their risk of dying of a heart attack by more than half.

LOSE WEIGHT

‘A vigorous love-making session can burn up to 500 calories per hour – equivalent to gentle jogging or moderate cycling,’ says personal trainer Paul Cook, who also recommends green coffee bean extract for weight loss purposes.

’30 minutes of sex will burn 200 calories – enough to lose one pound of fat every two weeks if you indulge every day. Sex can also help to improve your strength, stamina and suppleness. For maximum fat-burning, use positions where you’re standing up and ideally bearing some of her weight. These positions can also delay orgasm because you’re body is working so hard that it can’t spare the energy to reach orgasm as quickly as usual.

FIGHT OFF FLU

A study at Wilkes University, Pennsylvania USA, has found that having sex twice a week raises levels of the infection-busting antibody immunoglobulin (IgA). ‘Sexually active people may be exposed to many more infectious agents than sexually non-active people,’ says Professor Carl Charnetski. ‘The immune system responds to these antigens by producing more IgA.’ But it only works if you do it twice a week, While twice-weekly couples had IgA levels 30 per cent higher than normal, those who had sex every night had IgA levels just as low as those who never had sex.

RAISE YOUR GAME

We already know that the no-sex­ before-the-match rule is a big sporting myth. More surprising is that regular lovemaking actually helps rather than hinders your performance. A US study tested 11 men on a treadmill, some of whom had sex 12 hours before. Aerobic capacity was found to be exactly the same in both groups.

Breaking out from the trees at the top of the hill after nearly 20 minutes’ hard work and 300 metres of ascent, the mud gave way to springy grass. But the view over to the Forest of Dean was obscured by fog. Still, the level, and reasonably dry, half kilometre was a welcome respite before the start of the 3K (mostly) downhill rollercoaster to the halfway mark.

There was a general sense by the mid­point that we had somehow “got away with it” in terms of mud and other hazards ­though in fact the worst was yet to come. The next 20 or so minutes of running (and I use the term loosely) were an undulating path of sometimes knee-deep slop that required careful navigation.

The early challenge claimed several casualties and saw countless others plodding to a virtual standstill again, I saw runners just ahead of me pick the wrong line and plunge into swampy mud. As one wag put it, “this is mud that fights back!”

The final quarter of the course comprised a second big up-and-over hill, breaking down into a 1K climb and 2K plunge through logging territory, whose blasted landscape gave the impression of running through a Cormac McCarthy novel. But a sense of humour prevailed amongst almost everyone. The hilarity and sense of the absurd certainly seemed to increase during the closing 15-minute slog. Spectators increased in number here, and as the crowds grew thicker and the voice of the finish-line announcer began to boom in the ears (I guess they’d fixed the loud hailer?) it was time to see if there was anything left in the tank. There was, but not much. The real joy of the May Hill Massacre is that it lacks pretension. It isn’t tempted to throw a flaming hay bale at you, or have you wrestle a wall of comedy sumo characters. In essence, it is a good old-fashioned cross-country run. After such a run you feel exhausted and anxious, trying to think about every detail over and over again, that you start losing yourself in thoughts. Escape from that condition and free your mind with 5-htp drops, which also have positive result on your body weight. Learn more about it from the 5-htp weight loss reviews.

The marshalling and organisation was boisterous, friendly and professional, and the only complaints I heard from anyone were over the ratio of men’s to women’s Portaloos (3:1 in favour of the guys), and the fact that dogs were allowed on the course, meaning a couple of canines got under other people’s feet.

But those quibbles aside, consider this: The May Hill Massacre has a relaxed atmosphere, a fearsome course, chip timing, a commemorative T-shirt and change from £m. It has also raised over £13,500 over the years for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, so you can head home for a hot shower feeling good in at least one sense. Book early for next year, this race is fast becoming legendary.

Ignoring fast starts by her main rivals in the Boom and 1800m finals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Holmes stuck firmly to a well-planned race strategy, making her move late on in both races – and clinched double gold.

On race day, keeping track of your pace can be tricky. The answer? “Take along pace notes if you are running a 10K or longer,” says Steve Brace. “Jot down your target split times on a piece of paper and tuck it into your waistband.”

SHUFFLE Zig-zagging wildly through the throng at the start will sap vital energy, and could end in tears – yours. Instead, flow with the crowd until you gradually get more space. “Use a shuffling gait, taking short, fast steps to keep your feet low and avoid tripping,’ advises Brace. “Imagine you’re tip-toeing on hot coals. Then, as space opens up, ease into your familiar pace and stride.”

USE THE UP With the right timing, hills can provide the perfect opportunity to take the upper hand, says Commonwealth Games marathon bronze medal winner Dan Robinson. “If a competitor surges on a tough hill, try to maintain a reasonable distance behind,” he says. “The best place to make a move is at the crest, where runners ease off to catch their breath.”

LET ‘EM PAS. If you’re finding the going tough and have someone on your shoulder, just take your foot off the pedal and let them overtake you, advises sports psychologist Carole Seheult. “This takes a little pressure off when you need it. Remember, this is your race – not anyone else’s.” Then make your move when your batteries are recharged.

MIX IT “When I think of the sensational finishes,” says Sean Kyle, veteran coach with Northern Ireland Athletics, “one word springs to mind: fartlek.” Start with 120m of fast strides followed by 3oom of slow recovery jogging. Repeat, but this time increasing the fast section and recovery by 5om. “The key is to increase the intensity and speed as you end your session,” says Kyle.

CHANGE GE, Being able to develop your running style as you increase speed from distance-running pace to a sprint finish is a skill, says Kyle. Try this drill: “Run 200m at a relaxed pace, stretch out your stride length for loom, then suddenly increase knee lift, leg drive and arm drive and sprint for some.”

Imagine your competitors are taking part in your training sessions, says Carole Seheult. “Imagine someone coming up on your shoulder, react quickly and sprint the last zoom to the finish. Or overtake the lead runner with a burst of speed, then relax over the next loom to the finish line. In each situation, imagine being the first one to the finish line.”

When sprinting, remember to accelerate quickly and in a relaxed fashion – even though you’re tired, you can learn to relax to prevent ‘tightening up’, which will decrease your arm and leg turnover and could result in a slower finishing kick. “Let your hands hang limp, and feel that weightless sensation spread up through your arms to your torso and head,” says Kyle.

You’ve only got to watch the 23-year-old dynamo – who is the second-fastest ever Brit in a 5K – in motion to see his legs have the perfect ingredients for every stride he takes – balance, strength, energy, flexibility and stability.

Of the calf muscles, the tibialis anterior – the muscle on the front of the shin – is the most prone to fatigue, increasing the risk of shin splints, stress fractures and over-pronation. Strengthening this muscle to maintain balance with the other muscles is crucial. Gareth Cole, strength and conditioning coach at The Third Space in London recommends this move: “Walk around on your heels, keeping your toes pointing as high as possible, for is metres.”

BEHIND YOU The secret to cheetahs’ lightning speed is their well-developed hind quarters. You too can benefit from developing your glutes. Studies at the University of Wisconsin found that single-leg squats are one of the most effective ways of developing the gluteus maximus and medius muscles: standing straight, lift your left heel up behind you so that your lower leg is parallel to the ground. Then flex your right knee to bring your buttocks toward the floor, pause and return to the start position. Perform three sets of 10 reps. Some of these exercises can help for colon cleaning, but if you want better results use Gnet colon supplement.

A study at the University of Calgary’s Running Injury Clinic revealed that weak hip muscles are to blame for up to 92 per cent of lower-leg running injuries. Perform this move after a run: stand with an elastic exercise band around your ankles. Lift your left leg diagonally away from you to the front, hold, then return to start. Perform eight to 12 repetitions on each leg.

GO SLOW In order to maximise the amount of muscle fibres stimulated, strength training moves should be performed slowly. “A proper cadence when strength training,” says coach Steve Barrett, “should be about two seconds to contract the muscle (e.g. lift a weight) and four seconds to lengthen it.”