Walk Talk Series

Day 62 – For The Boys! – Walking For Men’s Health

Affirmation of the Day

I believe in myself. I can do anything!

Today’s Walk:

  • 45-75 minute walk in the healthy heart zone 50-60% of your maximum heart rate
  • Warm up with 5 minutes at a very easy pace
  • Find a safe spot with a wall or pole to do a 5 minute easy stretching routine
  • Now resume your walk at a comfortable pace
  • End with 5 minutes of gentle stretching

Exercise: Abdominals

Feeling Frisky? Since you’ve been walking and watching your nutrition – has your interest in intimacy improved?

“For The Boys” – Reduce Risks of Impotence and Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction, which affects an estimated 15 million to 30 million Americans and is more prevalent in men over 40, is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection adequate for sexual function. It can be precipitated by medication, depression, stress, hormonal abnormalities, and other factors.

One way to improve  or reduce your risk of erectile dysfunction is to make some simple lifestyle changes. For some men, adopting a healthier lifestyle, such as quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and reducing stress, may be all that is needed to find relief. For those who require more intensive treatment, adopting healthy lifestyle changes in addition to other treatments can further help.

Men Should Walk for Sexual Health

A brisk 2 mile walk each day can reduce men’s risk of impotence according to Dr. Irwin Goldstein, from Boston University School of Medicine in a study published in the August, 2000 issue of Urology. His 9-year study of 600 men who at the start of the study had no impotence problems found that those who kept exercising or took up exercising at middle age reduced their risk of impotence.

To get the most benefit, you should exercise at least 20 to 30 minutes, preferably on most days of the week.  If you are a beginner, exercise for a few minutes each day and build up to 30 minutes.  Discuss starting an exercise program with your doctor.

How Does It Work?

Exercise improves blood flow through your blood vessels and keeps things clear. The penile blood vessels give early warning signs of heart artery disease when impotence shows up due to a slow-down of the blood flow. Exercise keeps the blood flowing and prevents impotence in the same way it prevents heart attacks.

The activity level needed to improve the blood flow amounts to two miles of walking at a brisk pace per day – about a half hour walk a day. Or a jog or other exercise that burns 200 calories and increases the heart rate. Biking is not recommended as it has been shown in some studies to increase the risk of impotence due to blood flow restriction from the bike seat.

Walking helps Reduce Stress

Stress is common to everyone. Our bodies are designed to feel stress and react to it. It keeps us alert and ready to avoid danger. But it is not always possible to avoid or change events that may cause stress and it is easy to feel trapped and unable to cope. When stress persists, it can affect the body and illnesses can occur. The key to coping with stress is to identify stressors in your life and learn ways to direct and reduce stress.

Learning an effective means of relaxation and using it regularly is a good first step. Allow yourself some “quiet time,” even if it’s just a few minutes. Examine and modify your thinking, particularly unrealistic expectations. Talking problems out with a friend or family member can help put things in proper perspective. Seeking professional assistance can help you gain a new perspective on how to manage some of the more difficult forms of stress. Other approaches to reducing stress include:

  • Keep a positive attitude. Believe in yourself.
  • Accept that there are events you cannot control.
  • Be assertive instead of aggressive. “Assert” your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, combative, or passive.
  • Learn to relax.
  • Exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit.
  • Eat well-balanced meals.
  • Stop smoking.
  • Limit or avoid use of alcohol and caffeine.
  • Set realistic goals and expectations.
  • Get enough rest and sleep. Your body needs time to recover from stressful events.
  • Don’t rely on alcohol or drugs to reduce stress.
  • Learn to use stress management techniques and coping mechanisms, such as deep breathing or guided imagery.

Women: Get the Men in Your Life Walking

The TV commercials make it all seem so simple: He can’t get an erection so he pops a pill. The next thing you know, his partner is cooing about how her guy is back to his old wild and romantic self. What the commercials don’t show you: The painful distress a woman can experience when her man suffers with erectile dysfunction (ED).

Experts say that ED is a couple’s problem and can be resolved by working together. Women internalize things — they tend to blame themselves first, thinking it’s because they have done something wrong, or that they are no longer attractive to their partner. In fact, the first thing a woman thinks when a man can’t get an erection is that it’s her fault, and nothing could be further from the truth. Unfortunately, experts say a lack of education about the causes of ED are frequently behind a woman’s self-blame, as well as her increasing anxiety, and sometimes, even feelings of hurt and anger when the problem occurs.

Although many women — and men as well — continue to view ED as a sexual issue, in truth, the most common causes are undiagnosed physical conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or even the earliest stages of heart disease. Even more often, it can be the result of certain medications used to treat these conditions, particularly some high blood pressure drugs

Besides talking about it. Encourage him to come along on your daily walk ; maybe this will get him moving!