Erectile dysfunction is not a new concept among men. It is a common problem affecting men of all ages.
Erectile dysfunction occurs when a man is unable to achieve or maintain an erection. The study conducted in 1995 showed that about 152 men had erectile dysfunction, and they project this number to grow to 322 by 2025. 1
There are many causes of erectile dysfunction including diabetes, obesity, abnormalities of the penile arteries or veins, etc. In most cases, studies show that it’s possible to reverse erectile dysfunction when discovered on time and the measures are taken.
These measures may range from simple erectile dysfunctions exercises to medications and when necessary, surgery may be granted.
Erectile dysfunction is usually seen in older, overweight men who engage in low physical activities. These are the reasons that make exercises even more important for such men. This blog aims to explain medically proven exercises that can help strengthen the penile muscles and restore their proper function. The top effective erectile dysfunction exercises are:
1. Kegel Exercises
This is one of the best natural treatments and most beneficial exercises to treat erectile dysfunction.
These exercises are usually aimed at strengthening the pelvic floor muscles, enabling them to endure and maintain an erection.
In men, kegel exercises strengthen bulbocavernosus muscles. This muscle serves three major functions which are: Allowing the penis to fill with blood during an erection, pumping during ejaculation, and emptying the urethra after urination. When this muscle is weak, it becomes difficult for the penis to stand erect.
It is also the reason some older men cannot control their urination because the muscle that serves that function is ineffective.
Practicing kegel a few times each day, it’s possible to notice improvement.
A popular study on the effectiveness of kegel exercise over 2 weeks established that 82.5% of men with premature ejaculation experienced an improvement in their condition which also increased their sexual stamina. 2
The same study conducted a follow-up on the same and found that 39% of men continued to experience intravaginal ejaculation latency. Therefore, strengthening the pelvic floor muscles ensures the bladder, penis, and anus function normally.
How to perform Kegel exercises effectively
Before jumping into performing kegel exercises, it’s important to know how to do it properly. This is important because failure to perform them as expected may not give you the expected results, which can affect your stamina and confidence.
Begin by locating the bulbocavernosus muscle. You do this by stopping your urine stream a few times during urination. The muscle that enables you to interrupt the urine stream is the one that kegel exercises targets.
While doing this, ensure that your buttocks, legs, and stomach muscles are not clenched as this may not give you the expected results. You can kegel while standing, sitting down, or lying down on a flat surface.
Then, clench the bulbocavernosus muscle and hold it continuously for three seconds. Release and perform the same thing 3-5 times.
For maximum results, it’s recommended that you do it at least 3 times per day. After a few months, your muscles will begin getting stronger and therefore you may increase from five seconds.
Here, you can challenge yourself to hold the muscle for a longer time and probably up to 10 seconds. Just like any other muscle, bulbocavernosus will need time to tone and strengthen, and therefore you may not see the results immediately.
2. Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic exercises are proven to be effective in people with erectile dysfunctions when practiced correctly. These are physical exercises that increase the heart rate and promote the body’s ability to use oxygen.
Medical professionals advise aerobic exercises should last at least 40 minutes and should be done consistently for a minimum of 6 months.
This is the only way you can experience positive results on erectile dysfunction. Sometimes, erectile dysfunction can result from a reduced blood flow to the penis.
Therefore, performing aerobic exercises also known as “cardio” may help. This is true because when you’re exercising, your heart rate goes higher, and your breathing rate increases.
Aerobic exercise, according to science, improves your overall cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) health, which directly affects your ability to have or keep an erection firm. Some of the most common aerobic exercises are Boxing, running, skipping rope, cycling, and swimming.
These exercises help eliminate erectile dysfunction and target many other problems linked to erectile dysfunctions. For instance, if erectile dysfunction is caused by being overweight, aerobic exercise promotes weight loss. Unlike kegel exercise, aerobic exercise is only effective when combined with a healthy diet.
This means that performing these exercises while still eating an unhealthy and unbalanced diet may not improve your erectile dysfunction.
A healthy diet may include eating lean proteins, minimal carbohydrates, huge amounts of fruits and vegetables and also having healthy fats, and drinking enough water.
You may also want to regulate the amount of salt and processed sugar as they are linked to conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and heart disease that causes erectile dysfunctions.
Also, lifestyle changes may be an important aspect to embrace besides diet and aerobic exercises. According to studies, unhealthy lifestyles have led to an increase in the number of men suffering from erectile dysfunctions each year.
Smoking for example affects blood vessels negatively, making them contract. This reduces their ability to transport blood to the penis, hence making it difficult for a man to erect or maintain an erection.
Excess alcohol intake also does injustice to many systems in the body, the reproductive system included. Alcohol interferes with certain brain chemicals that remind your penis to fill with blood.
Alcohol is also linked to reduced testosterone, an important hormone that helps in erection. Therefore, advocating for healthy lifestyle changes may help ease some causes of erectile dysfunction and help you either prevent it or improve if you already have it.
3. Pilate and Yoga Exercises
Aerobic exercises are not the only exercises recommended in treating erectile dysfunction. Pilates is a good way to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles which then improves the general performance of the penis.
Pilates is most often confused with yoga exercises but they are two distinct entities. Both are low-impact energy and offer almost similar benefits.
However, pilates is usually aimed at trying to relax muscles that are tense and provide strengthening the many muscles of the body.
Yoga on the other hand is done to improve the flexibility of the body and also increase the flexibility of your joints with time. Here are a few you can try:
1. Knee fallouts (knee drops)
This is a beginner-friendly exercise that aims at strengthening your core and pelvic muscles. To do it requires you to lie on the ground with your knees bent while maintaining flat feet on the ground.
Also, keep the arms by your side then squeeze your pelvic muscles while exhaling. Again, lower one knee to the floor while still keeping pelvic muscles engaged.
Once the knee touches the ground, relax the pelvic muscles and inhale. Repeat this on alternating sides between 5-10 knee fallouts at a time. For maximum benefits, it’s important to repeat them 2-3 times a day.
2. Foot raises
These muscles strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and also muscles surrounding the hip, buttocks, and legs as well.
You begin by lying down with bent knees and your feet on the floor, just like in knee drops. Take a deep breath in and when exhaling, squeeze the pelvic muscles and raise one foot off the ground slowly, and finally straighten it.
To protect your lower back, keep your other leg bent on the ground. For maximum results, lift the straightened leg as high as you can achieve without moving the spinal cord or the hips. Once this is achieved, inhale and return the raised leg to the floor.
Conclusion
Erectile dysfunction is the inability of the penis to erect or maintain its erection.
The condition has many causes which can range from simple psychological problems such as stress to more complex issues such as trauma and chronic illnesses.
Scientists and researchers still believe that it’s possible to achieve or maintain an erection when corrective measures are followed.
In most cases, before one switch to medications such as sildenafil (Viagra), doctors usually recommend more natural treatments.
These treatments may include exercises such as yoga, pilates, Kegels, etc, which strengthen and restores the function of the pelvic muscles.
Diet is also a natural remedy that can reverse the effects of erectile dysfunction through having a balanced diet. Some lifestyle modifications such as being physically active and quitting smoking and alcohol also help.
Avoiding stress is another method of curing the condition as stress may interfere with the state of mind and sexual feelings.
It’s possible to live with erectile dysfunction although it may affect certain aspects of life such as relationships and self-esteem. Again, exercise alone may not help and in such a case, it’s important to seek medical advice. Would you like to know more about erectile dysfunction recommended exercises? If so, click here:
