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The 97 Lb Weakling Can't Have Good Sex?
Charles Atlas was able to have great sex. Whether he did, we do not know. But he was physically fit for sex.
Paraphrasing the old song, sex and marriage go together like a horse and carriage – except when they don’t. Weight and physical fitness can get the best of marriages mired in the “no sex” bog,
After one support group sessions, a man asked us what are the best exercises for sex. I started to say all of them, when he interrupted with “So if I do all this, what difference will it make?” He went on to say “I’m kidding myself. For us, sex isn’t very passionate. Oh, don’t get me wrong. I get excited and so does my wife. But it’s more of a calm excitement. We don’t go thrashing around on the bed or the floor. Would he like it to be different? “Oh, yes, but at my age, what else can I expect.”
I asked him whether he noticed if his heart rate went up and was breathing hard and fast. “Oh sure,” he said, “doesn’t everyone’s?” I asked him whether he sometimes feels as if he is out of breath. “Oh, yes. Then we both roll over and go to sleep. I am too tired afterwards to do anything else.” Sometimes, he wonders whether he will have enough energy to finish.
Much has been written about being able to have better sex through exercise. People who are sedentary, usually do not have much energy, not much endurance, less muscle strength, and a poor sense of balance. As a consequence they usually have low libido and may not be capable of “performing”sex well. Men who have been treated for prostate cancer have had their neurological system damaged. These men need every possible advantage for a good sex life.
Exercise is one thing everyone can do and tailor it to fit one’s capabilities and the available time. The key point is that people must make a commitment. Even when other medical conditions are present, there are levels of exercise regimens that men can undertake.
Sex is demanding. Heart rate and breathing increase. The body produces endorphins, to create the same kind of high that runners get. Putting sexual activity in an exercise context, 15 minutes of sexual activity uses up about 90 calories, the same amount as walking a mile in that time.. Or jogging for 12 minutes, or sleeping for 8 hours. And so on. But being fit is not only for being able to have better sex.
Exercising generally improves all-around health: mental and physical which includes endurance, energy, strength, and liveliness, get up and go. People feel a greater interest in sex when they are fit and exercise regularly.
To have really good sex, the partners need to be alert, senses tuned, not tired, and able to respond physically and mentally. The partners need endurance or they will fade quickly, You need this if you are active during sex. Can you imagine running a 100 yard dash without having practiced for some time? As we age, some men lose some lung capacity and cannot process the oxygen they breathe as effectively. As a result, they may not be able to step up to some occasional physical demands such as sex. They will tire more quickly.
Building strength through exercise means an increase in metabolism so that a person’s body can respond to the biochemical needs of sex.
Flexibility is the third component of being physically fit. Flexibility means being able to adjust your body to what you would like to do such as getting into different positions and moving with your partner.
There is a fourth part, balance. As people get older their sense of balance decreases making falls more likely. A fall may mean that a calcium deficiency leads to broken ones. Being fit helps an individual’ sense of balance.
Most readers will know of other benefits of exercise such as weight management, feeling good about oneself, sleeping better, strengthening bones, controlling cholesterol and reducing stress.
The issue is getting started. Exercise does not have to be a major sweating routine. It is as easy to start by standing up and sitting down a number of time. Weight lifting can be done with cans of food. Control and coordination can be achieved through Tai Chi, a regimen of smooth gradual movements of the body, arms and legs. Start off easy and do it for short periods. Walk around the block especially on a nice day. About a half hour of a slow walk will burn 100 calories. Dr. Irwin Goldstein, a prominent impotence expert said that a person needs to burn 200 calories a day to lessen impotence.
If you want to exercise with other people, organizations and groups in most neighborhoods have programs that will fit one’s schedule and desired level of physical activity. One man goes to a small local gym where the strength and flexibility class consists of a number of twenty- and thirty-something women and he. He says that he feels good when he can do some things they do, and some exercises they can’t do. One exercise using a nine-pound body bar was difficult for him two years ago. Today he uses a 15 lb. bar. He says sex is much better in spite of his impotence problems.
Try it! You’ll like it. Have fun.
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