When we think of male sexual health, our minds often jump straight to STI checks and perhaps an uncomfortable yearly appointment with your GP after you turn 40. However, there are countless ways you can attend to your body to ensure your sexual health. We look at the 6 best things you can be doing for stronger sexual performance.
1. Kegel Exercises for Men
Most people associate kegels, or pelvic floor exercises, as something that only women do to strengthen their muscles to recover from childbirth. However, not only women benefit from working out their PC muscles. In both sexes, they can assist with urinary incontinence, and in men they increase blood flow to the penis which helps with erectile dysfunction. Doing regular Kegels (which can be done anywhere, anytime, for just a few minutes) can help create stronger erections, and increased control over ejaculation.
To do Kegel exercises for men, you must first locate the muscle group. Extending from the pubic bone to the tailbone, this is the muscle that you can most easily locate (and work out) but stopping and starting the flow of urine. When not urinating, you can also flex it while you have an erect penis, causing it to move up and down. Just contract, hold, relax and repeat! It is important when working your PC muscles not to hold your breath, or tense your abs or glutes. Those muscles are also important for good sex, but should be exercised separately to get the most out of your Kegels.
2. Core Muscle Strength for Sex
You might be focused on working your core to achieve the type of washboard abs that people swoon over, but there are more practical applications for that 6 pack. We know that a strong core helps us maintain our balance better, making the more acrobatic of sex positions easier to achieve, but the abdominals, as well as your hip flexors, are crucial for going the distance for longer lovemaking sessions.
Stronger abdominal muscles (helped by your gluts and hamstrings) will help you thrust for longer, but hip flexibility is not to be ignored. Because most of us sit at a desk all day, our hip flexors are passively contracted, making them short and weak. Do a forward lunge that makes you feel a stretch in your hips or floor-slide mountain climbers to improve your extensibility.
3. Cardio Exercises for Better Sex
Sometimes passion leaves us breathless, but it shouldn’t be happening five minutes into sex every night. Many gym bunnies may ignore cardio when they’re trying to bulk up, but it’s an important part of fitness in and out of the bedroom. It helps loosen you up before and after lifting, and of course is integral for improving blood flow all over your body, as well as increasing your lung capacity.
Controlled breathing can be extremely beneficial during sex. It helps you remain calm, which assists with performance anxiety (whether erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation is a concern). It also increases oxygen to your muscles, preventing you from getting tired as quickly, and can help you last longer before orgasming. To control your breathing during sex, simply focus on breathing from deep within your abdomen, and make an effort to slow down and hold breaths longer when you feel yourself close to climax.
4. What to Eat to Boost Libido
Oysters may help boost libido (they are full of zinc,) but there’s more to do here than slurp some back with wine on date night. Foods such as chickpeas, cashews, peanuts, walnuts and root vegetables contain L-Arginine, which boost circulation integral for erectile response.
Salmon and tuna are both high-protein and full of Vitamin D, which helps testosterone production. They are also full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are good for your heart, but moderation is key. Switch it up with black and white beans, or avocado for lower LDL cholesterol (Low-density lipoprotein, aka ‘The Bad One’.) If you’re looking to conceive, research has shown that eating red grapes (with the skin) can improve sperm motility.
5. Penis Training for Stamina
Yes, there are ways that it can be done. Anecdotally, men have been training their sexual stamina by bringing themselves near to orgasm while masturbating, only to stop and cool down before resuming — and repeat. This practise is called edging, and it’s been used by men as a way of avoiding premature ejactulation ever since they have had penises (which is forever).
But there is more than one way to skin this ol’ cat: men looking to increase their sexual stamina now have all-new and very high-tech ways of doing do. Much like common fitness apps where you can track your progress or gather data on your workouts to better optimize your performance, the same is now possible with your sexual performance.
The burgeoning field of Sextech makes this possible. One of the pioneering Sextech devices is the LELO F1S. On the most basic level, it’s a masturbation sleeve that uses sonic pulses instead of the traditional vibrations. It also features a series of sensors throughout that you can use, along with a software developer’s kit that gives you total blue-sky abilities to create your own applications. Will you track your performance? Measure the strength of your erection? Perhaps you just want to program your own pleasure. The possibilities are truly only limited by your creativity, and Sextech hold huge future potential for everyone’s sex life and sexual health.
6. The Benefits of Prostate Massage
Taking care of your prostate is one of those rare instances where healthy practice and pleasure completely overlap. The small, walnut-sized gland located below your bladder is where semen is partially generated. While regular orgasm will release the stored semen, some can remain, potentially leading to a buildup of bacteria and swelling. Issues such as genital discomfort, erectile dysfunction, and frequent urination can often be traced back to your prostate.
Thankfully, there’s a solution: prostate massage. Massaging your prostate, aside increasing seminal fluid and circulation, also can cause stronger, even multiple orgasms, in men. To achieve this, you or your partner can use their finger to move your finger back and forth on the prostate. During solo or partnered sex, this can be a little hard to manage, so incorporating a prostate massager like LOKI™ Wave takes the guesswork out of prostate stimulation with a slim, curved body that perfectly fits your anatomy.
Conclusion
Working out and eating right seem like the opposite of pleasure and enjoyment, taking care of yourself can improve your sex life, which in turns help you to be healthier as well.