Being active not only has an impact on your body but also your brain. It is important to note that they both play a big role at a man’s interest to have sex. Exercising ensures that you keep yourself at optimal health.
Exercise is not in any way meant to replace the prescription medicine used to treat ED however, it can be a good alternative and natural way to treat it.
Ways in which Exercise Helps to Treat ED
Reduces Health Problems
We all know that ED may be caused by either physical or psychological factors. Having regular exercises help you solve some of these health problems.
In a case where you are suffering from hypertension, the high blood pressure damages the arteries causing them to harden. This, in turn, limits blood flow to the penis and may cause the dysfunction.
However, exercising helps to revert this by reducing you the force used to pump blood around your body protecting your artery linings and restoring normal blood flow to all the parts.
In addition, exercising also helps lower blood sugar, maintain a healthy weight and strengthen your heart.
Strengthens Your Muscles
It is important to take care of the muscles that help you maintain an erection. Having targeted pelvic exercises regularly will help strengthen them and result in a hardened erection.
This muscle is located between the frontal pubic bone and the anus. It facilitates blood flow to the penis and helps prevent blood from leaving the penis once it’s erect.
Solves Psychological Issues
To some men, their ED is mainly based on psychological factors most of which can be solved easily. Having regular exercise helps you boost your mood by using endorphins produced by your body. With an improved mood, it gets easier to perform during sex.
Since exercising also tones your body, it will help improve your body image. This goes a long way to boost your confidence and self-esteem.
This, however, does not mean you should not get professional help. Having a therapist listen to you and assess your situation is always the first priority.
Types of Exercises that Can Help
As discussed earlier, the main part to work on is the pelvic muscle which aids in maintaining an erection.
Here are a few exercises that can help achieve this goal
Kegel Exercises
To do this, you need to locate the pelvic floor muscles. This can be done by stopping your stream several times during urination. The muscles that you clench and relax are the ones you need to exercise.
For this, you have 3 options
- Activating pelvic floor muscles. Done while lying down
- Sitting pelvic floor activation
- Standing pelvic floor activation
To perform this exercise, squeeze the muscles, hold for five seconds then relax. Do a repetition of 10 to 20 times twice or thrice a day.
Also remember that since it’s your first time, you don’t have to be perfect. Completing the repetitions should not weigh you down. Just go easy on yourself and trust that you will get to your end goal.
Pilates
These exercises mainly target a group of muscles and help maintain pelvic floor strength while moving.
Knee fallouts
This involves very small movements.
It requires one to lie down with knees bent, feet flat on the floor and arms to the side. Next to squeeze the pelvic floor and lower one knee to the floor while maintaining activation of the pelvic floor muscles. Then do the same with the other side with 4-5 repetitions.
Supine foot raises
This exercise builds on the knee fallout and takes it a notch higher where you have to raise your leg from the floor then back. Remember you should still maintain activation of the pelvic muscle.
Aerobic Exercises
While it is important to work on your pelvic floor muscles you also need to work on the rest of your body. Remember that exercising helps you reduce health problems that may be causing your erectile dysfunction.
Aerobic exercises include; cycling, boxing, spin classes, running, skipping or even taking a brisk walk. Adding these exercises to your daily routine may go a long way to improving your cardiovascular and overall health. This will, in turn, improve your erectile dysfunction significantly.
Important Things to Note
Exercise requires you to be consistent for you to get your desired results. You don’t just workout one evening and assume all is well. The best way to do this is to make it a habit.
Associate exercising with something you love doing or better yet give yourself a reward each time you finish your workout. This will keep you motivated to want to keep on working on your body and your health.
Notice that with all the exercises, you can easily do them at the comfort of your home so not having access to a gym is not a reason for you not to put in the work.
Remember consistency is key.
Diet, Diet, Diet.
Always remember that exercise and a good diet always go hand in hand and complement each other. If your food is all wrong then all the work you put in will be for nothing.
Take your time to research about all the good and natural foods that may help you attain your goal. Avoid junk food mainly because it is bad for your cardiovascular health but also your body in general. Such foods are what lead people to get obesity and not performing as they should.
Conclusion
It is evident that having that time set aside for your daily workout routine is important. You need to stick to the exercises that will help you treat your erectile dysfunction. Remember to go easy on yourself and be patient. All good things take time.