Building an active lifestyle: From passive adaptation to proactive control over health and sexuality

Over 60 years ago, men's daily work included chopping wood, carrying water, stacking hay, pushing carts, and swinging axes. Today, well-oiled machines do all that, while you're left idle and rusty. But even the most modern jobs require a healthy body to ensure their safety, speed, and productivity. If you've had health issues for a few years, you'll need time to recover. Only 20% of Americans exercise enough to maintain cardiovascular health. Even those with compelling reasons to exercise don't; 50% of heart patients drop out of their doctor-recommended exercise programs within months. This means you must overcome the inertia of living in a society that loves cars and elevators. Don't think of exercise as a healthy chore or a tedious "exercise program"; think of it as engaging in natural activities you enjoy. Abandon the split lifestyle of a lazy week followed by a hectic weekend. Get off the bus two stops early and find the furthest spot from your office to park your car. Take a 15-minute walk during lunch, and climb the stairs instead of the elevator-climbing stairs burns more energy per minute than almost any other form of exercise. Don't park in front of shopping malls, and don't drive between two blocks. Turn everyday chores into exercise. When you mow the lawn, rake leaves, shovel snow, or garden, move vigorously; you'll finish quickly and feel great. Turn walking into exercise; lift your knees higher than usual, increase the elasticity of each step, tighten your calf muscles, take larger strides, and walk a little faster. For every hour of television, do 10 minutes of strength and stretching exercises; install an exercise bike next to the TV. Be constantly active; even when working at a desk, stand up every half hour and maintain good posture throughout the day. When traveling, avoid taxis or the subway; carry your own bags and take a walk around the central plaza during short layovers at the airport. Extraordinary effort isn't necessary; ordinary people simply need to discover natural activities that improve their cardiovascular health. One hour of creativity can turn ordinary activities into a self-made fitness program, making your body healthier day by day. If you intend to remain lazy, you may not be aware of the "passive adaptation" that laziness brings to your body. When you want to do physical labor, to act like a healthy person, but you can't, the outcome depends on your age and physical condition-it could be strong muscles or heart disease. Proactive adaptation is another option. One behavioral principle is "shaping," meaning that real change comes from your gradual progress towards a goal: a leaner body, a healthier body, a stronger body, and so on, each step built on previous efforts. Day by day, step by step, you accumulate progress towards a healthier goal. Sex, regardless of gender, race, age, or religious belief, is present in all human processes. Traditional views consider sexual behavior to be limited to intercourse and everything that follows. However, it is now understood that sexual behavior includes sexual attraction, cohabitation, sexual sensation, and the need for physical contact. Sexual intercourse is only one part of sexual behavior. This need for physical contact within sexual behavior is innate. The biophilosopher Maurice argues that this human need for physical contact and intimacy, and the unmet need for it, constitutes the core of human existence. In this society of "contact famine," the human need for intimacy and physical contact is not met, leading to the emergence of substitutes such as doctors, pets, hairdressers, and even one's own body. Physical contact is not only satisfying but also a survival instinct. Animals, especially primates, often spontaneously huddle together. Some renowned doctors have noted that physical contact can relieve pain, reduce stress, and promote wound healing. A man who had been bedridden for 14 days without a single visitor, in a coma, experienced a slow and steady heartbeat when a nurse held his hand. In our society, contact is either sexually charged or nonexistent. Early experiences in men often suppress sexual feelings and contact; the responsibility for successful sex, this simplistic view of sex as merely intercourse, undermines men's ability to experience pleasurable, genuine, and spontaneous sexual responses. From a libido perspective, sexual behavior changes with interpersonal issues, family, work, social pressures, physical health, and the partner's circumstances. A healthy lifestyle enhances libido at any age. Regular exercise improves sexual response. Overeating or excessive alcohol consumption can suppress libido. Temporary illness or fatigue can also reduce interest in sex. Power struggles between spouses can decrease libido. David Watson and Herb found that couples with equal power in their relationships have the most fulfilling sex lives. Anger, especially unvented and inexpressible anger, can completely kill libido. Releasing anger creates a sense of intimacy and has a positive effect on libido.