Shape Up Your Sexlife
I have a hard time finding ways to motivate people. You tell them being healthy is good for you and they say “sure, but I want my ice cream!” You tell them they’ll live longer and they say “sure but I want to watch TV.” So I’ve been looking for ways in which to give people something more immediate as motivation. Something that will make them think “YES! Now I want to get healthier.” Well, I think I’ve finally figured it out.
Being healthy will lead to MORE and BETTER sex!
Got it?!?! Does that get your attention?!?! Good, now let’s listen to the expert.
Today’s guest post is brought to you by NYC fitness expert Jennifer Cassetty who took some time away from her busy schedule to answer a few of my questions.
Does a healthy lifestyle improve sex for both men and women?
- Yes - Studies have indicated that everything you do in life is all connected. A healthy lifestyle and regular exercise can rev up hormones, relieve stress, reduce fat and reenergize the body. That helps increase blood flow to the certain body parts, priming men and women for a better sexual performance.
How does a healthy lifestyle improve sex for men?
- Exercise and living a healthy lifestyle, in general, can pique desire for couples and make relationships more enjoyable. The results of exercising can be one of the best gifts for yourself and your partner. It builds confidence because you physically look better and you have the energy to perform with your partner.
- For men specifically, eating right and staying active increases blood flow to that certain body part, reducing the chances of being impotent in the bedroom.
- Adding exercise adds confidence that you need to take charge and satisfy your partner. Women like men that exude that semi-aggressive trait that turn women on. In order to do that without being too cheesy, you need confidence. Having a physically fit body gives you that needed confidence some may lack.
How does a healthy lifestyle improve sex for women?
- For women, living a healthier lifestyle improves sex tremendously for them. When you take care of your body (can apply to men as well), you heal faster and with the addition of sex, it can increase speed cell repair and regeneration.
- An extra benefit of having a healthy lifestyle and active sex life is that you will have fewer migraines. Healthier women have sex more often because it actually eases headaches, says Randolph W. Evans, M.D., clinical professor of neurology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. (Gal’s note - I find this amusing for some reason)
Does sex count as exercise?
- Yes! Having sex allows you to burn calories, reduce stress and increase your energy. Be adventurous and try different positions with your partner. Depending on your position and endurance, you can tone your glutes, abs and triceps. For more information on which positions can tone your body (or which exercises enhance your performance), you can contact me by visiting www.jennifercassetty.com.
Other than the names, do the exercises you mention have specific benefits on sexual performance or pleasure?
- It all depends on the body type. The exercises I provided were general and could be used by just about anyone (after approval from your doctor). To get a specific work out designed for your body type, feel free to contact me, and I’ll be more than happy to design one.
Are there foods you recommend to people looking to improve their libido and sexual appetites / performance?
- There are plenty of foods that are both healthy and improves sexual appetite. For instance, bananas are tasty and have a marvelous phallic shape that reminds us of something special. Bananas have potassium that helps with your sex drive.
- Chocolate was once referred to by the Aztecs as “nourishment of the Gods”. Chocolate contains antioxidants that help in reducing the risk of cancer.
- Ginger should also be used more in meals. It is a stimulant to the circulatory system. Perhaps a stir-fry with freshly grated ginger can stir something spicy up in the bedroom later.
- A glass or two of wine can greatly enhance a romantic interlude. Wine relaxes and helps to stimulate our senses. Drinking wine can be an erotic experience. Let your eyes feast on the color of the liquid. Caress the glass, savor the taste on your lips.
Do these tips apply to people of all ages? Even seniors?
- Yes – they are for every age group, however, I strongly recommend you consult with your doctor before beginning any new lifestyle change and exercise routine.
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Primal Blueprint - Month 1
It’s been a month now since I started experimenting with Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy
and I’m beginning to notice some definite changes.
Cravings
I never realized how much I craved sweets and carbs until I tried to go a few weeks without them. Wow! I’ve always though that smokers are weak because they are unable to stop smoking but here I am unable to stop eating candy. It’s quite literally a compulsion to eat and it’s very difficult to overcome. Sure, some of you may say, “I can stop eating junk food and chocolate anytime I want.” Yes, I thought so too but the truth is that it’s a lot harder than you think.
It’s quite clear to me now that my body became addicted to cheap, easy calories in the form of sweets and refined carbohydrates and that addiction proved just as hard to kick as caffeine. I’m making great progress but it still amazes me how habit forming sugars and carbs are. No wonder the food industry likes to stuff us full of them, the more we get the more we want.
On The Other Side…
I now realize just how satisfying a good meal can be when you’re not craving carbs. Here’s my food intake from yesterday.
- Breakfast - A bunch of blueberries and a peach.
- Lunch - Stir fried vegetables with three scrambled eggs.
- Dinner - Chopped salad and a portion of organic beef about the size of a hamburger patty.
- Snacks - A few almonds and figs.
That’s it. That’s all I ate. Note that I’m still getting plenty of carbs in the form of fruits and vegetables, I’ve just cut out the junk carbs. I also haven’t gone insane with the protein intake and converted all my meals to different versions of bacon wrapped steaks. Instead, I’m eating a nicely balanced diet of fresh ingredients. End result? I felt great. Even though this was actually a small amount of calories, I felt amazingly full and had no cravings for more food later on.
Aches and Pains
The aches in my legs have gone away. I used to have regular pains in my hips and thighs which made it difficult for me to sleep. Once I stopped jogging, the pains quickly went away and my sleep has never been better (except for last night when my overly rambunctious puppy decided to chase a moth around my bedroom). At the same time, I’ve actually increased my weight and elliptical workouts so I don’t feel like I’m doing less exercise. I’m also biking more although I’m still not hiking as much as I would like to.
Problems, Problems, Problems
The only problem I’m experiencing is around food. I’m still having issues sticking to the Primal Blueprint eating plan for two reasons:
- It’s not restaurant friendly and a lot of my social life revolves around eating out.
- I’m not a good cook at home which means most of my meals are variations of stir fries, omelets and salads.
Actually, I suppose this is one problem and not two. Namely, I severely overestimated my ability to find foods which match my eating plan. Which is part of the reason I posted my five things to consider before jumping into a new eating plan last week.
I suppose this is what I’ll work on this week, finding new restaurants and new recipes to work on.
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And a big thank you to my friends, you know who you are, who support me even when it’s the middle of the night. 
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Weekend Update - Heat Wave Edition
It’s HOT in the south bay today. Temperature outside should hit the 90’s by mid afternoon. Yes, that’s hot for around here, my apologies for those of you in places like Phoenix where this would be a cool spring day
Before I melt, here are some articles from this week that I thought you might find useful:
I’ve never even heard of this blog but I like the name and I like this rant! It’s all about the methods the authors plans to use to eat better. All stuff you’ve heard before but it’s nice to see it in one spot plus I always get inspired after reading posts like these.
@Calorie Killers
And if we’re in the mood for a good health related rant (and I always am!), here’s one from a neat little blog called Waterproofing (which normally has nothing to do with health). It’s all about the various fallacies surrounding weight loss and diets. I love it!
@Water Proofing
Speaking of calories, here’s an excellent guest post from Mizfit that explains what calories are in small words and short sentences. Good for those of you who, like me, don’t have a degree in biology but still want to understand how our body works.
@Miz Fit
And hey, since we’re highlighting smaller news sources these days, how about an article from this little almost unknown source called Canada? Eh?!?! Sorry, couldn’t resist :) However, this excellent article from Canada.com (how come we don’t have a USA.com? Sigh. Never mind, I just checked and we do except our site is a redirect to some advertising website) highlights the dangers of over emphasis on fitness and health. Yes, you can overdo things, as many high end athletes will tell you. That’s why my philosophy is to really enjoy what I’m doing when I exercise and not just do it for exercise’s sake.
@Canada.com
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Five Things To Consider Before Changing Your Diet
Based on my recent experiment with fasting and my current experiment with the primal blueprint, I’ve come up with a few guidelines for myself. These are things you should consider before changing the way you eat. I think anyone considering a new diet or eating plan should answer these questions before they make a decision.
Understanding
Do you know what the heck this new eating plan means? I’m serious here folks. All too often I hear of people trying out new foods and new ways of eating without really understanding what they’re doing. I’m not saying that you need to understand all the little details of nutrition. I’m saying, do you even understand what this diet means? Do you know what foods fit into the Mediterranean diet? Do you understand what are good sources of fat? Do you know what’s a good source of protein if you’re going vegetarian? When you say vegetarian, do you mean you’ll eat eggs, dairy or fish? If you’re going on a low carb diet, what meats are you going to eat and what plants are you going to exclude? You can’t just say “I’m going to follow such and such diet” without understanding what that diet means.
Long Term
Can you sustain this change long term? If the answer is no, then don’t bother. Temporary changes lead to temporary results. If you’re looking for permanent changes then you should find an eating plan that you can maintain for the rest of your life. Also remember that making small changes is easier than big. So if you have a brand new eating plan you want to adopt, you may want to make gradual changes, adopting new habits one at a time without trying for the big bang approach.
For example, I’m still struggling with caffeine but I’m making great progress with lowering my intake of processed sugars and carbs. So while I may want to adhere to the Primal Blueprint 100%, I’m going to focus on lowering sugars first and then wrestle with my caffeine habit. One things at a time…
Social Circle
Does this eating plan fit in with your social activity? Interestingly enough, the main stumbling block to most of my eating plan experiments has been my social life. Friends want to go out and they’d like to get something to eat. Very frequently that means going to restaurants which do not serve foods which fall into my eating plan. So my choices are either to not go out or to not eat while those around me do. Neither choice is sustainable in the long term.
Fasting for me was almost impossible since many of my social activities revolve around eating.
Price
Can you wallet keep up with your new foods? If you switched to all organics without finding a cheaper market than Whole Foods, you’re in trouble. The average meal at Whole Foods will cost you three to four times the average meal at a generic supermarket. So make sure you find a cheap source of food or make other adjustments to compensate.
This was a big problem for me with going organic until I discovered the farmer’s market and cooking at home.
Choices
Does your new cuisine offer enough choices that you won’t get bored? If the only thing you’re ever going to eat for the rest of your life is eggs, that’s not a very good plan. Trust me, eating the same thing over and over gets boring really fast. Make sure that you have enough options before you start your new eating plan, not after.
I had some issues initially with the Primal Blueprint over this problem since I couldn’t figure out interesting things to eat that didn’t involve a lot of processed sugars and carbs. Eventually, I resolved this, but it would have been easier had I planned better earlier.
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Hope these rules help you out in whatever new eating plan you embark on.
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REVIEW - Eat, Drink and Be Healthy
I’ve always been a fan of books written various Harvard Schools. Perhaps it’s the business student in me, but they always seem to be well written, informative, thorough and objective. So when I saw a national best seller nutrition book written by a pair of Harvard professors, I figured I’d pick it up and see what the fuss was all about. What I found was a bit more and a bit less than what I expected.
What It’s All About
The authors of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating
- They are not based on science
- They are based on the lobbying of the US agriculture industry
- They don’t make distinctions between good and bad components of the same food group. Good and bad fats for example.
I tend to agree with all of these issues, especially the second one. I urge people to remember that the purpose of the United States Department of Agriculture is to promote agriculture. It is NOT to promote good health. Most folks I talk to tend to believe that the USDA has their best interests in mind. The truth is that it does not. The USDA is not the department of health, nor is it an organization concerned with good nutrition. It is an arm of the government concerned with the promotion and success of US farmers, cattle ranchers and other food producers. As such, its dietary guidelines are written in a way which makes them seem healthy but in fact they’re written to promote US farming products.
The authors have gone a step further and identified what they say are the worst issues with the USDA guidelines:
- All fats are bad - This is wrong, there are many good fats.
- All carbohydrates are good - Again, wrong. There are good carbs and bad carbs.
- All protein sources are created equal - No true at all. Organic chicken for example is far better than factory produced pork.
- Dairy products are essential - Not true. Man kind did not evolve to consume a huge amount of calories from the milk of cows.
- Eat your potatoes - This is a horrible idea for most people and yet a large majority of Americans consume many of their calories from potatoes.
- No guidance on weight, exercise, alcohol or vitamins - The USDA pyramid and most of the USDA’s information has no advice on these important items.
That said, the authors have decided to come up with a better food pyramid and a better set of dietary guidelines overall. They themselves admit that nutrition research has been a confusing issue over the past few decades. Nutrition research comes and goes and what was bad yesterday may be good tomorrow. This is all true, although they make a strong case for most of the flip flops being based on bad science and rumor rather than good science and research. At the same time, they have collected an amazing amount of data from a variety of sources. So while this information may change as we learn more about food and the human body, it does represents some of the best science we have today.
The Core
Out of all the data and research which the authors collected, they have come up with a few basic rules for a good eating plan.
- Watch your weight - Yep, it seems almost too basic to be mentioned but it’s worth noting that even the best diet will be bad for you if you eat too much.
- Eat fewer bad fats and more good fats - The book reviews a variety of good fat sources such as fish, nuts and more. Meats are treated fairly and the book also provides vegetarian options.
- Eat fewer refined grain carbs and more whole grain carbs - I know many of you think carbs in general are evil, but it’s hard to argue with this rule. If you eat less white bread and more whole grain bread you’re definitely taking a step forward. Sure, you can take a bigger step by lowering grain consumption overall but one small step at a time. The authors provide a variety of tips on grains and how to eat them.
- Choose healthier sources of protein - Yes, this goes out to all of you who think your bacon wrapped steaks are a good idea :) It’s not! Protein is good. Healthy protein sources are better. A reasonable consumption level of healthy protein sources is best. I liked the authors rankings of protein sources and they also provide a good set of ideas for vegetarians who may struggle to get enough protein in their diets.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits but hold the potatoes - I don’t really need to go into detail on this one, do I? The authors do and they give a good amount of information about other root vegetables which we may want to avoid like potatoes.
- Use alcohol in moderation - Yep, one small drink a day is good for you. Note the emphasis on small. This is not an excuse to drink a six pack a day. A small drink is a glass of wine or a single beer.
- Take a multi vitamin for insurance - Even assuming you follow their guidelines, the authors believe you should still take a multivitamin every day, just as insurance. I have to agree. Considering the cost is around 10 cents a day and there are no negative side effects, I can’t see how this is anything but a good thing.
The rest of the book goes into detail on these rules and gives a whole lot of information on how to implement them. It also has sample recipes and menus, all of which sounded really tasty.
So Is It Worth Buying?
Depends. Are you interested in the details or is the quick summary above enough for you? For most people, I think this book is a bit too much. You can read the rules above and get 80% of the books value. Sure, the rest is interesting but it’s very detailed and might bore a lot of people. For me, it was fascinating, but that’s because I appreciate reading all the little details.
If you’re a beginner looking for ways to improve your diet, this is not the book for you. You’re better off with something like Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy
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A Walk In The Sunlight
It’s 8am, I’m alone in the office. I’m frustrated by my inability to finish this homework. I’m lonely, upset over the hole in my life. My body feels strained by the lack of workouts last week. All of this leads to anger, rage, sadness, frustration and a whole host of other negative emotions. What do I do? I put on the iPod and head outside. Sunlight and music, my new found friends.
They’re there when I’m sad and they’re there when I’m tired. They wake me from my stupor and cheer me up from my depression. The warm sunlight feels so great on my face and the wonderful sounds of powerful music emanate from the headphones and keep me company as I walk. It’s like an escape from all that is bothering me. I take the first step down the path, listen to the first song and I’m lost in wonder. My thoughts race every which way as I lose myself in dreams, hopes and aspirations. The problems I face seem smaller somehow when I’m faced with the grandeur of the outdoors and my energy level perks up with the music. The emptiness inside is filled with warmth and the solutions to my issues dance in front of me.
I arrive back feeling refreshed and renewed. My problems are still there but I feel more ready to face them now. The walk gave me a break which my body and mind sorely needed. I don’t feel tired now. I feel full of energy, ready to face anything which might come my way. All the ideas I had during the walk flutter about me, waiting for me to write them down and start working. Even better, my body feels good now that it’s had a chance to stretch out and get some sunlight. I no longer feel cramped and alone.
And the cycle is broken. The emotions get better as I work on my problems. The urge to do something stupid fades away as I focus my new found energy on implementing my ideas. The need to drown my sorrows in caffeine and sugar fades away.
Banishing Darkness From The Light
There’s an old Israeli song, typically sung on Hanukkah which was a favorite of mine when I was a small child. The chorus involves all the singer stamping their feet to the repeated singing of “go away darkness, go away before the light”. That always made me feel better as a small boy, especially since I was afraid of the dark.
There’s a part of me that remembers that song now and understands it as that little boy did not. There’s something scary about that darkness, about not knowing what’s in front of you and we tend to want to fill that darkness with familiar and comfortable things. And so we eat “comfort” foods. Things like ice cream and chocolate and fried dishes. Food that makes us feel loved and appreciated, perhaps because it reminds us of better days or perhaps because it stimulates our bodies in ways that mimic happiness. Whatever the reason, there’s a better way.
Sunlight and music, combined with walking. A magical combination that’s better than any amount of fried foods and ice cream. This is just one way which I’ve found to cope with stress. Just one way which doesn’t involve overeating or doing something destructive. There are many others. I’ve also found that conversation is a far better coping technique than binge eating. Find a good friend and talk. Trust me on that one.
There’s More
I look at this post and compare it to the one from last week and I can see how much I’ve changed over the past few years. I’m encouraged. The problems are still there, some old and some new. Some issues have been resolved and some new ones have emerged. Overall though, I cope with my issues in a healthier and less damaging way.
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For those who are curious, I highly recommend the music of Rob Dougan for times like these. Great sounds perfect to sooth your mind and body.
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Weekend Roundup - Change Is Here Edition
I’ll be making a few changes to 60 in 3 over the next few weeks, mostly in terms of content. There will be an announcement later today of what I intend to do. Hope you enjoy it.
In the meantime, here are a few interesting articles I thought you might enjoy:
Every once in a while, you have to move away from the big blogs / newspapers and all their advice, and focus on the little blogs, the one with the personal success stories and the inspirational ideas. Here’s one from Mark Olson about how he changed his lifestyle to the better.
@Mark Olson
From Strong Lifts, here’s an article about how many calories you need to eat per day. Good information here although a lot of their calculations seem to come out a little high to me.
@Strong Lifts
From the Chicago Tribune, here’s an article on the growing suspicion of sodas. I like the comparison to cigarettes. As someone who has tried to quit caffeine filled sodas for several months, I can tell you it’s a pretty hard habit to break.
@Chicago Tribune
And finally, from the SF Examiner, here’s an interesting article about swapping out unhealthy food for healthier choices. Some good ideas here.
@The Examiner
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