Could Intermittent Celibacy Be The Key To Maximizing Productivity? Cam Newton Says Yes

This month marks a year since I last had sex. It's not necessarily for any religious reason, I'm not abstinent and haven't taken any special vow. Homegirl is just out of commission, and quite frankly in need of a tune-up. But according to Cam Newton, taking a break from sex can actually help you level up your grind (pun intended).

Intermittent celibacy is the name of the game for this 29-year-old quarterback and father of three who says that not having sex ultimately boosted his productivity. I don't know much about sports, but I do know that a lot of hard work, both mentally and physically, is done in the off-season. Last month, he explained to James Corden on the Late Late Show:

"Every month in this off-season I've tried to challenge myself in a different way."

For example, in January, Cam decided that he would give gambling a break and avoid placing any bets. In February, the football star gave up his pescatarian lifestyle to go vegan for 28 days, and in March, he gave himself a different kind of challenge, one that he hopes will take him all the way to the Super Bowl. Cam Newton says that giving up sex was hard, but it also felt rewarding AF. He said:

"I'm going through a transition right now. I wanted it to be challenging."

I think we all feel a sense of accomplishment when we achieve a goal we didn't think we would reach, and this is Cam's sole reason for his method of intermittent celibacy.

"When the season comes around, it makes my mind stronger. I feel like if I look up and said I did those things, it makes me mentally stronger."

Fasting or abstaining from the things we want is a practice that has been used for decades, usually for political or religious reasons, but Cam's case is quite different. While there is no scientific evidence that abstaining from orgasms is beneficial, the Carolina Panthers quarterback says that the last 31 days have changed his life in ways he couldn't have imagined.

"Those 31 days have changed my life in ways that I never probably would have even expected. I felt stronger mentally as well as physically. Felt clean. I just see things differently."

By Cam's account, this method is the Panther's ticket to the Super Bowl and he believes in it so much, that he invited his teammates to join in on the challenge.

"It has changed my life in incredible ways. And that's why I'm doing a Carolina Panthers celibacy Super Bowl challenge. I am gonna challenge everybody on my team to not have no climax for the whole football season."

Hmm. So is edging out of the picture? I'm not quite sure how these athletes' wives will feel about this, but, carry on…

"It's going to be trying but it will be worth it. We'll have a lot of focus. So get ready everybody. This is about to be the Carolina Panthers' year. It gotta be. Or one of the wives is gonna kill me."

To be honest, there's nothing NOT to love about an orgasm. In addition to lowering stress levels, relieving headaches, and reducing the risk of heart attacks, they're downright enjoyable. But maybe, like Cam, the key to reaching your maximum potential of productivity is locking your box every now and then.

Although this is a type of pseudoscience I can't quite buy into, sometimes when you believe something works, it actually will. However you choose to challenge yourself in your off-season, it's definitely worth a try!

Featured image by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Players' Tribune