Key Takeaways

A new ZipHealth survey found that people who get more exercise not only feel better about themselves, but enjoy a more satisfying sex life. Fitness is clearly a powerful tool for building sexual confidence, and dating professionals have an opportunity to make an impact in the fitness niche. 

ZipHealth asked its survey group to report whether the average number of steps they get in a day correlates with their sexual satisfaction. The response was a resounding “yes”; for Gen Z in particular, getting 10,000 steps per day correlated to nine sexual encounters per month. 

As general interest in dating apps declines, the industry can use all the help it can get to appeal to more people in more unique ways. Now, it has a compelling reason to appeal to gym rats, morning joggers, and protein shake-guzzlers — goal-oriented people who are more likely to respond positively to action-based dating advice. 

The upside to exercise is not only skin deep. Singles, daters, and long-term partners all benefit when they exercise to feel more comfortable, confident, and satisfied in intimate situations. 

Fitness as a Sexual Motivator — and a Coaching Tool 

One in 3 Americans told ZipHealth that they’ve avoided sex because they weren’t happy with their bodies. “For many, getting active isn’t just about fitness — it’s about feeling good enough to enjoy intimacy,” according to the study. 

Datefit CEO Steven Macecevic agreed, and told DatingNews, “There are a large portion of our users who began their fitness journey specifically to look better and build confidence to date. Fitness is the key component in feeling good and being confident in yourself in and out of the bedroom.”

Clearly, the dating industry has an opportunity to boost dater confidence levels by connecting fitness to sexual satisfaction. 

Seventeen percent of ZipHealth’s respondents said they work out because they want to maintain their overall sexual attractiveness, and 9% do so to improve their sexual performance. 

ZipHealth reports that 56% of female respondents assume flexibility is most important in the bedroom, while 54% of men felt similarly about cardiovascular endurance.

It’s not unusual for people to feel self-conscious about their perceived lack of strength, stamina, and flexibility as compared to people in porn or even in pop culture. Dating professionals and apps can let daters in on a little secret: Exercise can hold those fears at bay, and not just because working out can, say, lead to weight loss. 

More importantly, exercise helps improve the physical strength, stamina, and flexibility that can lead to authentic confidence, and make sex even more satisfying. 

Actionable Fitness Goals Can Lead To Sexual Satisfaction 

There’s a clear correlation between exercise, confidence levels, and sexual satisfaction, according to ZipHealth. Just ask millennials and Gen Z. 

Seventy-three percent of millennials, 69% of Gen Z, 73% of men, and 68% of women in the study specifically said they felt more sexually confident after adding daily workouts to their schedules. 

But how can the dating industry make a real impact in the fitness world? 

For dating professionals, breaking fitness goals into bite-sized pieces is a surefire way to appeal to a gym rat-aspiring dater. As ZipHealth discovered, achievement is a strong sexual motivator: Thirty-eight percent of respondents said they noticed marked improvements in their sex lives after achieving workout goals. 

Specifically, 79% of Gen Z and 62% of millennials told ZipHealth that they felt significantly more sexual satisfaction after walking 10,000 or more steps per day. “Compared to sedentary people, physically active individuals were 76% more likely to feel sexually satisfied,” ZipHealth noted. 

As the number of steps per day decreases, so, too, do people’s overall sexual satisfaction. Only 40% of all respondents feel sexually satisfied when they get fewer than 2,000 steps per day. Gen Z respondents who get under 2,000 steps per day only have one sexual encounter per month; this total rises slightly to three per month on average. 

The clear connection between exercise, confidence, and sexual satisfaction makes the fitness world an ideal place for dating professionals to dispense wisdom.

Whether it’s a dating coach with personal training skills or a dating app that connects people over shared fitness goals, the fitness niche is uniquely suited to actionable dating and fitness goals. 

After all, 65% percent of surveyed men and 59% of women are actually more likely to initiate sex on the same day of a workout than on a non-workout day. It’s compelling evidence that working out, despite being sweaty and tiring, can be simultaneously empowering and freeing, much like sex itself.