The Performance Connection: How Boosting Blood Flow Powers Sport and Sexuality
I first started supplementing with beets to get a performance edge in sports two years ago, when my Sports Medicine Doctor shared some research on nitric oxide (NO) and performance. As a midlife athlete who often trains with athletes decades younger, I sought every edge available. Relying on repetition could only get me so far – I knew that to compete truly, I needed an inside advantage.
Since adding beet juice to my routine, I’ve seen undeniable results—more energy, faster recovery, and a natural reduction in my blood pressure. In two short years, I went from running my first half-marathon to competing in the Boston Marathon, riding my first road bike to becoming a Gran Fondo Ambassador. I accelerated my growth, loved the process, and unlocked new performance levels.
That’s when a new question hit me: If beets could improve endurance and blood flow in sports, what could they do for sexual performance?
Outside of athletics, I specialize in sexual health and wellness and performance coaching. I’m a sex educator who has coached hundreds to optimize not just their physical but also their mental and emotional readiness for peak performance—whether in sport or intimacy. And the deeper I dove into the research, the clearer the parallel became:
Athletic performance and sexual function operate on the same key principles—blood flow, mental resilience, and hormone balance. That’s why I started recommending beets and beet supplements to my clients struggling with erectile dysfunction or anorgasmia.
The Science of Arousal and Performance: More Than Just Blood Flow
Whether you’re training for a race or optimizing your sex life, three major factors impact performance:
1. Nitric Oxide (NO) – The Blood Flow Booster
Blood flow is the foundation of both athletic stamina and sexual response. In sports, NO improves oxygen delivery to muscles, enhancing endurance. In the bedroom, NO increases blood flow to the penis, clitoris, and vaginal walls, amplifying sensitivity and arousal.
For women, NO supports clitoral and vaginal engorgement, enhancing pleasure, lubrication, and orgasmic response. If circulation is compromised—due to stress, age, or poor health—both athletic and sexual performance suffer. Studies have shown that NO plays a significant role in the physiology of the penis, operating chiefly as the principal mediator of erectile function.
For men, NO is a key chemical messenger that triggers vasodilation, helping maintain an erection by allowing more blood to enter the penile tissues. Without enough NO, erections become weaker and harder to sustain. Research indicates that NO is the primary mediator of penile erection, with its release from nerve and endothelial cells in the corpora cavernosa of the penis activating soluble guanylyl cyclase, which increases cyclic GMP levels, leading to smooth muscle relaxation and increased blood flow into the penis.
2. Psychogenic Factors – The Mind-Body Connection
Your mental state can make or break your performance, whether in a race or during intimacy. The brain is the most powerful sex organ, and just like an athlete needs focus and confidence to perform, sexual arousal depends on emotional connection, mood, and relaxation.
Inhibitors like stress, anxiety, or distraction block both peak athletic performance and orgasm. When we train the mind—through mindfulness, confidence-building, and presence—we remove barriers to stronger, more consistent sexual responses.
3. Biological Factors – Hormones & Nerve Sensitivity
Athletes fine-tune their hormones, muscle function, and nervous system response for peak performance. The same applies to sexual health.
Testosterone fuels libido, arousal, and stamina in both men and women.
Estrogen supports lubrication and tissue sensitivity in women.
Oxytocin (“the love hormone”) spikes during orgasm, strengthening pleasure and emotional bonding.
Nerve sensitivity plays a crucial role in orgasmic response—healthy nerves mean stronger, more pleasurable sensations.
The Bigger Picture: Training for Peak Performance in Every Area of Life
Whether running a marathon, conquering a GranFondo, or reigniting passion in your intimate life, performance is performance. As an athlete, I push my body for endurance, resilience, and strength. As a sex educator and intimacy coach, I help women and men do the same in their intimate lives. The best results come from a holistic approach—strengthening the body, training the mind, and optimizing blood flow, hormones, and emotional connection.
That’s why beets are always on my menu—for better stamina on the road, in the gym, and in the bedroom. If you want to perform at your best in every area of life, start by supporting your body and mind’s ability to function at their peak.
