As mentioned earlier, there are specific pelvic floor exercises which can help to deal with erectile dysfunction. However, recent research suggests that ordinary run of the mill exercise can also help. Just walking for half an hour, a few times a week can actually help with erectile dysfunction, because it boosts the circulation, and that’s important, because to achieve and sustain an erection, you need good blood flow into the penis.
Anything that helps the general circulation in the body will also help with that.
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How Exercise Helps Erectile Dysfunction
Here’s the science bit. What helps the penis to become and remain erect is the health of the endothelium. That’s the inner lining of the blood vessels, and it’s a big aid to helping the blood flow smoothly and efficiently through the body.
Regular exercise is known to maintain the health of the endothelium and thus keep the circulation at a healthy level. That means if you exercise regularly, not only will you keep your heart healthy, you could solve your erection problems at the same time.
Slow Down Effects of Aging
There’s good news here for the older guys too. Although erectile dysfunction can be a common problem of old age, regular exercise can hold back the aging process by counteracting the natural effects of aging on the blood vessels, and with it, the risk of problems in the bedroom in later life.
Low Intensity Exercises Works Great
It doesn’t have to mean pounding the streets or sweating it out in the gym either — walking and swimming are aerobic exercises which can help to keep the endothelium healthy and thus improve the circulation and enhance blood flow to the penis.
Studies suggest that walking for 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of developing erectile dysfunction by around 41%, so it’s worth a try. It‘s also important to do something you enjoy in the way of exercise, because that way, you’re more likely to stick with it. Almost said keep it up there, but maybe that’s a pun too far!
Experts advise against cycling if you have potency problems, since it can cause damage to the nerves responsible for erections. However, it’s okay to use an exercise cycle at home or in the gym, as the seat is likely to be wider and more comfortable than a conventional cycle saddle. Therefore the risk of nerve damage is significantly reduced.
Benefits of Exercise
Exercise releases ‘feel good’ endorphins in the body, and that helps to combat stress and depression. Stress is very often a cause or a contributory factor in erectile dysfunction, and so is depression, and regular exercise can help tackle that. Also, if you need to lose a little weight and build muscle definition to give your self-esteem a boost, exercise can do that too.
That’s not to say that exercise is the answer to all your problems, but it can certainly help with them, and when you remember that exercise helps to lower blood pressure and stabilize blood glucose levels, you’re taking a giant step towards good health, by preventing or treating hypertension and diabetes.
Another benefit of exercise is that it helps you to sleep well, so your body has time to do all the repairs it needs to do to keep you healthy. Lack of sleep can lead to fatigue during the day, and this can interfere with your ability to achieve and maintain an erection. And of course, lack of sleep can lead to stress and even heart disease, so as well as helping with your potency problems, exercise can also help you to stay generally healthy.
Exercise helps you to get slim and stay slim, and as well as improving your self esteem and confidence, it could help you to avoid or overcome erectile dysfunction. Research suggests that a man with a 32”waist is 50% less likely to have problems with sexual performance than a man with a 42” waist, so there really is something in this exercise lark.
Kegel Exercises
As has been mentioned before, there are certain pelvic floor exercises that men can do to help overcome erectile dysfunction. Also known as pelvic floor exercises, they are simple to perform, and can also help guard against other men’s health problems such as urinary incontinence and prostate problems.
One really effective trick is to halt the flow of urine midstream several times. This identifies the muscles that need to be used in the Kegel exercises, because unless you identify and locate the right set of muscles, you won’t gain any benefits from the exercises. To do the exercise, squeeze the muscles, hold the pose for a count of 5, then release.
Repeat this 10 — 20 times, three times a day. The exercise can be done in any position, but it’s a good idea to ring the changes and do them standing up, sitting down or lying down. That makes sure all the muscles are used.
Other Kegal Exercises
Another good Kegel is to clench the muscles of the anus, as if you’re trying to stop yourself from going to the toilet. Hold it for between 5 and 10 seconds, then release. Repeat 10 times. When you’re doing Kegels, remember to keep breathing naturally. Don’t hold your breath, because that will deprive the muscles of the oxygen they need to function properly.
And just use the muscles you isolated and identified — resist the temptation to use muscles in your stomach, buttocks or thighs — that won’t do you any favors at all.
Because these exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and increase blood supply to the penis, they also have the potential to allow you to enjoy even better orgasms, since performing Kegels regularly enhances sexual sensation. This is partly because you become more in tune with your body as a result of isolating and working the pelvic floor muscles. That’s a goal well worth striving for.
Kegal Helps Erections
Exercise can help with erectile dysfunction in a number of ways. As well as helping you to lose weight and generally feel better about yourself, exercise improves blood flow all over the body, and particularly to the penis. It’s also a great mood lifter, and can counteract any stress or depression you may be experiencing as a result of your condition.
And if you perform specific pelvic floor exercises, as well as exercising generally, you’ll increase your chances of enjoying a normal sex life once more.
Perhaps the best benefit of exercise is that, unlike Viagra, or other drugs which may be used to treat erectile dysfunction, it doesn’t have any side effects, other than helping you to lose weight and feel fitter and healthier than ever before. If you don’t exercise enough, maybe you should make an effort to be more active, for the sake of both your health and your sex life.
Regular Cardiovascular Exercises
Aside from increasing energy levels, improving muscle tone and reducing blood pressure, performing cardio vascular exercises on a regular basis can help reduce the risk for erectile dysfunction or if a man is already suffering from it, address it.
Aside from allowing a man to achieve and maintain a healthy weight (remember obesity and its relationship to erectile dysfunction?), doing so can help a man get enough sleep, manage stress well, feel better about himself and improve heart health — all of which can help address erectile dysfunction issues. Such exercises include:
-Brisk walking;
-Dancing;
-Exercising on an elliptical trainer; -Rowing;
-Running;
-Swimming; and
-Tae Bo.
To maximize the health benefits of regular cardio vascular exercising, the ideal duration and frequency is 20 to 30 minutes and 4 to 5 times per week, respectively. As mentioned in an earlier chapter, don’t overdo it nor take it too easy. If it’s your first time to do cardio, consult with a doctor first to assess the optimal duration, intensity and frequency for you.
Lifting Weights
One of the best ways to improve blood flow to the penis is to improving the health of blood vessels’ inner lining called the endothelium. A healthy endothelium, according to prominent urology professor Dr. Wane Hellstrom, M.D., of the Tulane University School of Medicine, helps in improving a man’s erections.
Weight lifting or resistance training exercises can also help improve a man’s endothelium health and consequently, blood flow to the penis.
In more ways than one, weight lifting can also help address psychological erectile dysfunction. How? Lifting weights makes a man physically stronger and look better (more muscular) ala Ryan Gosling or Ryan Reynolds.
Looking better and being stronger can significantly improve a man’s self-confidence and the way he sees himself as a sex object, both of which can stoke the fire of sexiness within and improve his ability to feel sexually aroused. And when a man is sexually aroused, you know what happens next.
Yoga
Erectile dysfunction, especially psychological ones, are brought about by excess stress and fatigue. One of the best ways to manage and control both is by fostering a very strong connection between body and mind, which can be done through exercises like yoga.
Yoga has been shown in many studies to be effective in terms of reducing stress and general tension of the body as well as in terms of improving one’s breathing. It’s also generally helpful in improving a person’s feeling of being well, which is also important for sexual arousal.
Yoga doesn‘t just help address psychological erectile dysfunction — it also helps address physiological ones. It‘s because some forms of yoga exercises can help improve the pelvic region’s blood circulation. Since erections are primarily about blood flow in that region, it can help men’s penises to “stand up and pay attention.”
Salsa
Let’s face it, many people would like to have their cakes and eat them too by combining exercise and fun all in one session. It’s also worth noting that not everyone finds lifting weights and doing cardio to be fun. The answer? Try something like dancing — particularly salsa!
The beautiful thing about salsa dancing apart from being a good cardiovascular exercise is that it’s something that a couple can enjoy together. Not only does it burn much calories, it can also be so much fun with the music and the opportunity to develop more intimacy between both partners, which can translate to a much better sexual relationship.
Improved blood flow and emotional well being — what more can you ask for in an exercise, eh?
