Life is Better Without the Blue Pill
And no, I'm not talking about Neo and The Matrix (although that is true too).
I have proposed that manhood isn’t about something defined that we become, but the journey from boyhood (being born male) to a healthy self-determined adulthood. With that comes six critical ideas on what the journey of manhood (as opposed to the journey to manhood) would entail:
Honoring your biology while
growing beyond cultural expectations,
overcoming cultural obstacles, and
healing your psyche, to
discover your most authentic self and
use your gifts to serve the world.
I will unpack these in upcoming posts. This post is the second on honoring your biology. You can read part one here.
Your Measuring Stick
Here’s the long and short of it guys. If you can’t get it up and keep it up without medication, the odds are good that you’re not honoring your biology.
Let me flesh out what’s behind that statement. Here are some of the top causes of erectile dysfunction that you can fix by honoring your male biology:
vascular issues … caused by things like atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and diabetes
hormonal imbalance … this was me when I boinked
psychological factors … stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues
medications … often used to treat conditions from not honoring your male biology like high blood pressure and depression
lifestyle choices … like smoking and too much alcohol
obesity
Common Health Problems for Men
Now compare that with the list of common health problems for men:
cardiovascular disease … which often flows from hypertension
type 2 diabetes … often caused by obesity
prostate issues … which are often a result of a poor diet and low testosterone (especially dihydrotestosterone)
lung cancer … a common consequence of smoking
depression/suicide
liver disease … often caused in men by excessive alcohol consumption
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease … typically caused by smoking or other polluted environmental factors
The overlap can’t be ignored. Men, your ability to get and maintain an erection (without a little blue pill) is a great measuring stick, a barometer you can use to measure how well you are honoring your biology as a man. So if you’re not rising to the occasion, what can you do about it?
How to Honor Male Biology
There are two uniquely male things you can do to help address a number of the issues above. First, keep your waist below 40”. Research indicates that is key to decreasing the odds of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. The waist is specifically important for men because we tend to pack on fat in our abdomens, whereas women typically have a more even distribution.
The other thing to watch is your hypertension, which is more prevalent in men than (pre-menopausal) women because estrogen naturally widens the blood vessels decreasing blood pressure.
So what can you do to decrease your waist size and your blood pressure?
Aerobic Exercise
While you should talk to your doctor about what’s right for you (that’s part of your uniqueness), we generally need about 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise a week.
Aerobic exercise will benefit your cardiovascular health, increase lung capacity, reduce weight, enhance mood, reduce stress, and improve your sleep.
Weight Training
Lifting heavy things stimulates the release of hormones like testosterone, increases your metabolism, enhances your cardiovascular health, improves your mental health, and helps you sleep better.
Yoga and Meditation
When you decrease your stress, you decrease your hypertension. Yoga and meditation are both good ways to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which will help you chill out a bit.
Eat A Healthy Diet
While there is lots of conflicting information out there on what makes for a healthy diet, as a general rule, I think we could all do well if we knocked back more vegetables, drank more water, and focused on eating more foods that we prepare and cook at home. That said, for quick and nutrient-dense meals, I’m a huge fan of Huel (use the link and save).
There’s also some great wisdom in “The Nutritional Man” episode in this three-part series from my friend Joi Rychelle.
And Of Course …
Then there are those things that should need no further exploration:
limit alcohol and caffeine
don’t smoke
get your prostate checked
So, how are you doing? If you’re looking at this and feeling like you need some help moving forward, some holistic life coaching can help you map out a plan for health. Curious? Schedule a discovery call today.