His Hang Ups

Dear Dr. Fulbright, If a man has hang-ups about his body or is nervous to be nude in front of his partner, how can this negatively affect his sex life? My husband has put on weight and seems more sexually self-conscious because of it. -Meg

Like females, when a guy has body image hang ups, he's going to be self-conscious during sex. He's going to be more in his head, worrying about what his lover thinks and how he looks versus losing himself in the moment. He will also not be in the mood for sex as much, or seek it out as often. He may also be more inhibited when he does have sex, for example, lights off or sex in certain positions where she's less likely to see him.

For both sexes, in feeling out of shape, a person doesn't feel as sexy. It's also harder to move - a person is going to feel more sluggish, far from peak performance. People report more vibrant sex lives when they're in shape and exercising.

Dr. Yvonne KristAn Fulbright is a sex educator, relationship expert, columnist and founder of