How you live in your 30s and 40s sets you up for life in your 50s and 60s

Here’s the hard truth: You can’t outrun your physiology.

So many men who come see me in their 40s are starting to have issues with their erections. They look at me perplexed as I explain to them the physiology of blood flow and how certain issues– being overweight, having high blood pressure, and uncontrolled blood sugars have a direct impact on the arteries and veins that impair the blood flow.

We talk about lifestyle changes that can help such as losing weight and improving their diet.

When I ask them about any changes to their stress, it’s often met with a dismissive shrug “who isn’t stressed?” Fine, I reply, but what are you doing about it?

“Nothing, but I don’t really understand how this impacts my erections. I haven’t been eating anything differently, I haven’t been working out for a while, and my stress is the same. Why are there issues now?”

As we as men get older, we’re less able to overcome our physiology. We start to feel the extra 20 pounds we’ve been carrying around. We can’t recover as quickly from a poor night's sleep. And our refusal to shift how we process our stress can start to manifest as issues with erections and urinary symptoms.

How you live in your 30s and 40s sets you up for life in your 50s and 60s. The weight, poor sleep, lack of exercise, and unchecked stress will eventually catch up to you if it hasn’t already.

I, as the doctor, can’t make you start moving your body, skip the fast food restaurant, or start taking 10 min in the morning to breathe. I CAN try to help men make the connections between what they value (their erections) and their lifestyle choices & inner world.

Men, if you’re in your 30s and 40s — I urge you to take this seriously. Your stress levels, your inner world (emotions), and your lifestyle choices WILL affect your physiology as you age and if you ignore all of that – you’re very likely to end up having a similar conversation with your doc.

But here’s the good news - it’s not too late to start steering the ship in the direction you want to go.

I for one want to be in peak mental, physical and emotional shape as I head into my 40s and beyond. That priority is reflected in how I spend my time and energy.

If you’re looking for more detail on The Physiology of Men’s Emotions and How They Affect Our Bodies, check out my free guide. And if you know you need some support on your stress level & inner world, check out Men’s Work and hop on the waitlist.

Best,

Jonathan