Yoga is the oldest form of exercise and traces its roots back to ancient India. The word "yoga" comes from the Sanskrit word "yuj," which means "to yoke" or "to bind." This form of exercise not only incorporates physical postures (asanas) and breathing techniques (pranayama) but also involves meditation, resulting in holistic benefits. While yoga is known to aid weight loss and strengthen lungs, recent research has discovered its amazing benefits for sexual health.

How Does Yoga Benefit Sexual Health?

Improving Mindfulness And Mental Health

Yoga helps individuals become more mindful, present, and aware of their bodies. A 2018 article suggests that mindfulness—focusing on the present moment without judgment—can lead to positive sexual outcomes, such as enhanced sexual satisfaction for both individuals and their partners. According to a 2020 clinical trial, yoga and mindfulness may help reduce stress and anxiety, which are known to lower libido and sexual satisfaction.

Managing Premature Ejaculation

Yoga is an effective and safe method for managing premature ejaculation. Benefits may include improved pelvic and perineal muscle strength, better blood circulation, stronger penile muscle contractions, increased sexual stamina, and better arousal control. Yoga may also help alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression, which can contribute to premature ejaculation. However, more research is needed to fully understand yoga's role in managing male sexual dysfunction.

A study published in Cureus in 2024, found that yoga interventions are more effective in managing premature ejaculations and erectile dysfunction, with a greater emphasis on the former. Yoga is an effective, safe, and affordable approach recommended for managing erectile functions and premature ejaculations. As per researchers, men can improve their quality of life and regain confidence in sexual functioning by incorporating yoga into their routines.

Improving Sexual Function

The same 2024 review highlights that yoga may assist with erectile dysfunction, although further studies are required. Another 2024 review involving 730 adults found a slight improvement in sexual function linked to yoga, though the evidence is considered low quality and potentially biased. More research is needed to understand the full scope of yoga's impact on sexual function.

Addressing Other Health Conditions

Yoga has benefits for pain-related conditions, including neck pain, lower back pain, headaches, and knee osteoarthritis. A 2023 study suggests that chronic pain can lead to sexual dysfunction, such as low satisfaction and decreased interest in sex. Addressing these pain-related issues through yoga may, therefore, improve sexual function as well.

Boosting Self-Esteem

A 2023 study involving 18 adults found that yoga improved participants' body image, physical self-esteem, and sense of pride. Similarly, a 2024 study of 592 married women in Iran found a significant link between self-esteem and sexual function. Those with higher self-esteem experienced less anxiety and fear during sex, potentially improving sexual satisfaction. However, no research specifically links yoga with self-esteem and sexual function.

Tantric Sex

Tantric sex focuses on connecting with one's energy, including sexual energy, to achieve both physical and spiritual awareness. This practice is thought to improve self-understanding, increase sexual satisfaction, and deepen the bond between partners.

Walking has a lot of benefits, we already know that. However, how much should one walk? a recent study among older people revealed that if seniors could achieve a 4,000 steps goal in one to two days in a week, they would lower their risk of early deaths by a quarter.

This study was led by Harvard University, and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

What Did the Study Find About Older People's Health And Walking?

We all know that staying active brings great health benefits. In fact, Health and Me also covered how walking and staying active could lower the risk of dementia. Until now, however, it was unclear how much should one walk.

With this recent study, researchers found that achieving 4,000 steps per day on one or two days a week could lower risk of death and lower risk of cardiovascular disease, (CVD), as compared to not reaching this level on any day.

How Was The Study That Analyzed Older People's Walking And Its Impact On Health Conducted?

The study analyzed 13,547 American women, who were over the age of 62, with the average being 72. All of them were given trackers for seven consecutive days, between 2011 and 2015. These people were followed for over a decade. None of them had heart disease or cancer at the beginning of the study.

While they were being monitored in the end of 2024, 1,756 women died and 781 developed heart disease.

The study found that those who clocked up at least 4,000 steps a day on one or two days of the week had 26% lower risk of death from all causes, and a 27% lower risk of dying from heart diseases. This was as compared to those who did not reach this threshold on any day of the week. The study further saw that those who achieved the step count for three days of the week, their lower risk of death from any cause increased by 40%, however for CVD related deaths, it remained at 27%.

Takeaways And Limitations

The researchers said that while the most important take away was that people would now have an amount to walk. However, it is important to note that the study was observational, with no firm conclusion, and was done only on women, and assessed for only one week.

The researchers agreed that there is no "best" way to take your steps. The key is to just ensure that you are getting your steps in. "A greater number of steps, regardless of daily patterns, is associated with better health outcomes." The study saw that on an average, women took 5,615 steps a day.

While there were limitations, but the researchers still added, "An important translational implication of these findings is that since step volume is the important driver of the inverse associations, there is no ‘better’ or ‘best’ pattern to take steps; individuals can undertake [physical activity] in any preferred pattern (eg ‘slow and steady’ v ‘bunched patterns’) for lower mortality and CVD risk, at least among older women. These findings provide additional evidence for considering including step metrics in the next [physical activity] guidelines, and that ‘bunching’ steps is a viable option for health.”

Last week, Health and Me did a fact check, quoting previously done studies and citing other health experts on actor Ram Kapoor’s recent remarks about thigh strength and longevity. His remarks have sparked widespread curiosity. In a viral video, Kapoor claimed that stronger thigh muscles could help predict how long a person might live, even adding that older adults who fall and need a hip replacement often live only “five to six years” afterward.

While Health and Me did fact check, we decided to look deeper into it and ask doctors of what they think of this claim?

Read: Fact Check: Do Stronger Thigh Muscles Really Mean That You Live Longer?

Thigh Strength and Longevity: What Doctors Say

According to Dr. M S Somanna, Sr. Consultant, Joint Replacement & Arthroscopic Surgery, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, there is some truth to the idea that thigh strength can reflect overall longevity, particularly in men. “Strong thigh muscles indicate better overall muscle mass, balance, and mobility,” he says. “These factors are important for preventing falls, fractures, and joint problems as people age.”

He adds that weak thigh muscles often signal lower physical activity and slower metabolism, both of which increase risks for conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and bone loss. “Studies have shown that people with stronger leg muscles tend to live longer and stay independent for longer,” he says. “Simple exercises like walking, squats, and cycling can go a long way in maintaining thigh strength and improving joint health.”

Echoing this, Dr. Dheeraj Batheja, Consultant, Orthospine, Orthopaedics & Spine Surgery, Artemis Hospitals, agrees that strong legs are a good indicator of vitality. “Strength in the lower body shows how fit, energetic and balanced your metabolism is,” he explains. “Keeping your thigh muscles strong helps you stay balanced, move around, and remain independent as you get older.”

In other words, it’s not the size of the thigh that predicts lifespan, it’s what that strength represents: good muscle mass, stable balance, and cardiovascular resilience.

The “5–6 Years After Hip Replacement” Claim: Fact or Fear Mongering?

Kapoor’s claim that older adults who undergo hip replacement surgery live only five to six years afterward is an overstatement, experts say.

Dr. Batheja calls the statement “an oversimplification.” He explains, “Hip fractures in older adults are indeed serious and can increase the risk of death, especially within the first year. But the time someone lives after hip replacement varies widely depending on their overall health, pre-existing conditions, and recovery support. It is not scientifically proven that someone will live only five to six years.”

Dr. Somanna agrees. “While it’s true that hip fractures at 80 can seriously affect mobility and independence, many older patients recover well and live much longer with proper physiotherapy, nutrition, and care,” he says. “So, while the concern is valid, it sounds more like fear mongering than a medical fact.”

Do Thigh Muscles Matter More Than Any Other?

Both doctors emphasize that while the femur and thigh muscles are crucial for standing, walking, and balance, they don’t work alone. “Overall muscle and bone strength, including the back, hips, and core, are equally important for stability and healthy aging,” says Dr. Somanna. Dr. Batheja adds, “To live a long time, you need to keep your whole body strong and your bones dense, not just your thighs."

Thanks to social media, now every one is a fitness influencer. However, not everything people say on social media is true, nevertheless social media did benefit many, allowing easy access on health and fitness. But whatever we see on the platform must be always taken with a pinch of salt.

One such video which is trending is of actor Ram Kapoor, who once was 140kg and then went on to lose 55kgs in 18 months. He has, ever since become an inspiration for many to lose weight naturally. As per him, having two simple meals a day and intermittent fasting principles helped him. Now, as somebody who influence people achieving their own fitness goals, especially that he himself has experienced it, he does not shy away from talking about it.

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In one such conversation, he reveals that people in the insurance industry hire insurance experts to predict the age of a person and when he is going to die. One such man is Gary Brecka, a human biologist, and expert in science of human performance. Kapoor says, "He has an 82% accurate record in predicting one's longevity, based on the last 5 years of their life history."

Kapoor also notes that now he uses this experience he has gained from insurance industry to help people lead a better and healthy life.

"Do you know how he correlates the age till one will live?" Kapoor asks, "Through your thigh muscles."

Kapoor says that the stronger your thigh muscle is, the longer you will live. "When you sit, you need this muscle to get up. In India, everyone makes an upper body, but you do not need biceps to stand up," he said.

"Secondly, when you are 80 years old, it is very easy to trip and fall and if your leg muscles are not strong, you will have to have a hip replacement surgery, which is the beginning of the end. The person who underwent that surgery could only live for 5 to 6 years more."

Are Thighs Really The Key Predictor Of Longevity?

This is not the first time someone is talking about how thighs can help someone predict their age of living. Simon Sinek, an American author, international speaker, and more, also seconds this theory.

"Historically, thighs are the most important muscle responsible for notion." However, he correlates it with friendship. He says before cars, if you had to go meet a friend you would take a train or walk, which will put your thigh muscles at work, this means you have friends and to meet them you are mobile, "which means you are more likely to live longer".

Is There Any Truth In This?

While stronger thigh muscles could be one of the key predictors, the reason is not because it means you have a friendship or that a hip replacement surgery would only let you live 5 to 6 years afterwards.

As per the Harvard Health Publishing, researchers found that people with big thighs had a lower risk of heart diseases and premature death than those with thick thighs.

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The real reason is because stronger thigh muscles, or leg muscles reduce risk of all cause and heart-relate mortality. In men, specifically, it could predict the age for how long do they live, notes a 2011 study published in Author Manuscript. Strong thighs improve stability, reduce risk of falls. This also supports daily functional activities, which seems to have reduced as age progresses. Also subcutaneous fat in thighs can provide protective effects for bone and bone strength and cardiovascular health, also notes Dr Kunal Sood, MD, and double board certified anesthesiology and international pain medicine, based in Maryland, US.

Note: The information in this article is based solely on observations and insights from the referenced videos. It does not, in any way, claim to define or predict a specific lifespan for anyone.