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Physical Exercise: "Health & Sex Life"
Anastasios D. Kalantzis, Surgeon Urologist-Andrologist
Physical exercise not only improves appearance but also body functions. Those in good physical condition have better stamina, better muscular tone and cardiovascular system and improved vascular and blood circulation.
Physical exercise is not only a well-documented means for the preservation of muscles, the good appearance and the loss of body fat; it can also stimulate our libido and rejuvenate and improve our sex life. Research conducted within recent years has shown that the more active a person is in their everyday life, the more sexually active and satisfied they are.
In February 1999, an article of the American Medical Union Journal mentions that scientists and researchers have found that the causes of sexual dysfunction can be, among others, the poor physical and psychological condition and health of the individual.
The doctors in New England Research Institute have found that regular and intense exercise can be very effective in the reduction of the risk of impotence. Researchers studied more than 600 middle-aged men who had not reported problems of impotence or sexual dysfunction. After eight years, men who exercised regularly were reported to have reduced risk of facing problems of this kind.
Furthermore, it has been proved by several studies that middle and third-aged men can improve their testosterone levels with physical exercise.
But extra care is needed, as "moderation is best": heavy and painful exercise may compromise our immune system, resulting to the reduction of libido and sexual performance.
In a study conducted in the Public Health School of Harvard University, it was shown that men who take to intense exercise for 20 – 30 minutes every day, had half the chances to face erectile problems, as opposed to those who have an inactive, sedentary lifestyle. In the same study, the scientists also report that people who gained weight became more prone to facing erectile dysfunction problems.
The sexual life of women can also have benefits from regular exercise. Researchers in the University of Texas in Austin studied 35 women of 18 – 34 years of age. These women were asked to watch for a short travel film followed by a short cut porn movie. This occurred twice, with the themes alternating dynamically for 20 minutes. The first time the women had to perform intense exercise on a stationary bike, while the second time they did not. The researchers who evaluated the sexual response of the women by use of an instrument that counts the blood flow in the sexual organs tissue, found that their sexual response was 169% higher after the physical exercise.
Kegel Exercises
53 years ago, the American Professor of gynecology Dr. Arnold Kegel discovered, in his effort to find a solution in the problem of urinary incontinence, certain exercises known as "Kegel exercises", which are used today in order to exercise the "sex muscles" and make sex more enjoyable.
The pelvic muscles are those which support the uterus, the intestine and the bladder, protecting the entrances to the urethra, the vagina and the rectum.
The Kegel exercises improve the pubococcygeus muscles (those muscles we use when we want to interrupt urination). Try contracting these muscles, as if you wanted to suspend or delay urination and hold this position for at least 5". Inhale whenever you push and exhale when you relax. Repeat contracting 10-20 times and stop if you feel any pain. Set as a goal 100-200 contractions per day (approximately 10 per hour. For visible results, you should regularly repeat the exercise every day for about one month.
In order to make sure you are exercising the correct muscles in the correct way, follow these instructions:
> When you sit on the toilet, try to stop the urine flow. If you manage to inhibit urination, you exercise the pubococcygeus muscles.
> Imagine you are trying to stop the gas emitting from your body. Contract the muscles that you would use. If you feel "traction" then you are exercising the correct muscles.
> Lie on your back and insert your finger in your vagina. Contract the muscles as if you were trying to stop urinary flow. If you feel squeezing on your finger, then you are contracting the correct pelvic muscles.
Exercise any time during the day and wherever you are, since nobody will know: when you 're driving your car, washing the dishes, reading the newspaper, even when you are at work. You can also do the exercises during sexual act.
These exercises strengthen the vaginal muscles, thus helping women reach an orgasm more easily. According to experts, even only with this contracture at the time of intercourse a woman can have an orgasm. By contracting and then releasing the pubococcygeus muscles, also men can have stronger erections, delay ejaculation and have a better control over orgasm.
Another exercise that will help you improve your sexual performance is one that improves the pelvic, gluteal and abdominal muscles: lie on your back, with the knees bent and slightly apart. The feet should touch the ground and your hands must be on the sides of your body. Inhale tightening the abdominal and gluteal muscles and raise your pelvis until your back is straight. Be careful not to curve. Stay in this position for at least 10". Exhale while you touch the floor and repeat the exercise 10 times. In the last repetition keep your pelvis raised and slightly push upwards for 10". Bring your body back to the groundd slowly. This exercise improves the blood flow in the pelvic area, makes the muscles more flexible during sex and facilitates orgasm.
For the sexual performance of a woman, it is important that she is limber. Here's an exercise that can improve female flexibility: lie on your back, with the knees bent and the feet touching the floor. Push your legs backwards until your feet touch your pelvis. Twist your ankles so that your feet touch each other. Try to open up, lowering your knees as much as you can. Help to open by pushing gently with your hands the inner part of your legs. When you cannot open any more, hold this position for 60".
Then, softly and with the help of your hands, bring your legs back to their initial position and relax. By exercising the pelvic muscles, you achieve better blood flow in the area, improve your flexibility and facilitate the penetration of the penis.
Remember that breathing properly is not only necessary when you exercise; it will also be particularly useful during sexual intercourse. Lie down, placing one hand on your lower abdomen. Inhale and exhale slowly and try to feel the air reaching the low part of the pelvic area and abdomen swelling. The aim is not to breathe from the chest. H exercise will help you "wake up" your senses. Thus, during orgasm, you will not need to "hold" your breath, as usually happens, and you will be able to fully enjoy the sexual experience and your orgasms.
