Recently, a fitness expert in Manhattan released her "Fifty Shades of Grey"-inspired workout routine. While the bedroom benefits of being a healthy, physically fit adult are undeniable, this new workout is specifically designed for women to help themselves feel as sexy as the novel series' protagonist, Anastasia. Specifically, this workout is designed to build core strength at the same time as helping you feel sexier. For the majority of us, the most we've given thought to in physical training for sex is probably a few kegel exercises, which strengthens the muscles that help you stop and start urinating. For a long time these were the "recommended" exercises to help bedroom performance, or, if you have ever been pregnant, your OB-GYN has told you to do them to prevent embarrassing accidents post-pregnancy. Is there a method behind this workout? Is it worth it? Will it make me a legendary lover? Let's explore the correlation between sex and exercise a little more.

Guys

In order to make sure that your "plumbing" works well into your later years, exercise and a healthy lifestyle are essential for the livelihood of the family jewels. The biggest buzzkill (and health risk) for men in the bedroom is having too much excess weight, especially in your beer-gut. As you get older, the more excess weight you carry can and will adversely affect performance. One of the best things you can do to ensure your Lothario status is to try and eliminate belly fat by increasing your cardiovascular workouts in both duration and intensity.

As you increase your cardio, you'll notice that it will translate to more stamina and performance in bed. It's not a magic trick. If you think about it, it's really just one big cardio workout! So the more in shape and conditioned you are, well, you get the picture. In addition if you want added performance between the sheets you may want to seriously consider adding intense core and strength training workouts to your normal routine. Without making a huge jump to conclusions, most of the moves in the bedroom come from the core. It's not rocket science. Also, being a strong and flexible guy is going to get you bonus points. Trust me. Overall, a healthy lifestyle is going to translate well into the bedroom for you and your partner!

Gals

Ladies, this "50 Shades" workout was designed with you in mind. It's supposed to help you in the bedroom as well as boost your self-confidence and self-sexiness. In my professional opinion, and in the words of many of my clients, exercise (period!) will help you in the bedroom and your self confidence! However, there are some basic principles you can follow that will translate to benefits in the bedroom.

Just like we talked about for the gentlemen, you will need to focus on your cardiovascular endurance (stamina), flexibility, and core/muscle toning. Focusing on these areas will help you achieve bedroom bliss. Namely, for the ladies, increasing muscle tone and core strength can help lead to more satisfying experiences. Those three areas will help you to achieve new experiences and different positions that you may not be able to try if you aren't in shape or not that flexible. Working towards these goals can be rewarding as you see pounds come off, muscles tone up, and exciting things happen after dark!

So is the "50 Shades" workout really designed for better sex? Yes, every workout that you do is going to have some kind of benefit for bedroom antics. Some workouts like core exercises or long-endurance training are better than others, but as you get in better shape, so will your sex life.