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Men Should Walk for Sexual Health
Reduce Risks of Impotence and Erectile Dysfunction

By Wendy Bumgardner, About.com

Updated January 19, 2005

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board

Volksmarch, not Viagra!
A brisk 2 mile walk each day can reduce men's risk of impotence according to Dr. Irwin Goldstein, from Boston University School of Medicine in a study published in the August, 2000 issue of Urology.

His 9-year study of 600 men who at the start of the study had no impotence problems found that those who kept exercising or took up exercising at middle age reduced their risk of impotence. Taking other healthy actions at mid-life such as quitting smoking, losing weight or cutting back on drinking did not reduce the risk of impotence.

Message to Men
Two miles a day, even if you start at mid-life, can maintain your sexual health without drugs.

How Does It Work?
Exercise improves blood flow through your blood vessels and keeps things clear. The penile blood vessels give early warning signs of heart artery disease when impotence shows up due to a slow-down of the blood flow. Exercise keeps the blood flowing and prevents impotence in the same way it prevents heart attacks.

Men Should Walk
The activity level needed to improve the blood flow amounts to two miles of walking at a brisk pace per day - about a half hour walk a day. Or a jog or other exercise that burns 200 calories and increases the heart rate. Biking is not recommended as it has been shown in some studies to increase the risk of impotence due to blood flow restriction from the bike seat.

Women: Get the Men in Your Life Walking
You couldn't get him to come along on your daily walk before, maybe this will get him moving! Send this article to the man you love.

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