Shedding the Christmas pounds need no longer be an uphill struggle after scientists found sex can be as beneficial as playing sports, going for a strenous walk or jogging If getting out of bed for a walk or a game of tennis to shed the Christmas pounds feels too much like hard work, scientists have discovered that staying in bed could be just as beneficial. Researchers found that sex can be as beneficial as many forms of exercise and admit that participants are likely to find it more enjoyable. Men on average burn 120 calories during lovemaking while women lose around 90, the equivalent of a brisk uphill walk, a game of doubles tennis or a 15 minute jog. And at peak times men were found to burn as many calories as running for 30 minutes on a treadmill. Scientists from the University of Quebec in Canada recruited 20 heterosexual couples, aged 18 to 35, to have sex once a week for a month. The couples were instructed to perform their usual sexual activities and not to use d