Extreme exercise

[Alex]

Why is it that we hear of men who participate in extreme exercise like running marathons dropping dead of heart disease? If exercise is good, isn’t taking it to extreme even better? Well unfortunately, nitric oxide (NO) is reduced in association with extreme exercise, whereas it is increased with moderate and high levels of activity. Of course the body reacts with output of stress hormones when subjected to such an insult, but also marathon runners take in a lot of sugar to prime their muscles for such an arduous challenge. Sugar suppresses NO production by the blood vessels. Also, marathon runners burn a lot more fuel, which produces high levels of free oxygen radicals such as hydrogen peroxide, which also suppress NO production and promote atherosclerosis. So there is a lot of wisdom to the old saying to enjoy everything in moderation. If you want to fail in the bedroom, run a marathon after loading up on sugar, go out for a barbequed steak and mashed potato stuffed with butter and sour cream, have a few beers, and then have a high fat and high sugar dessert. However, if you want to really knock her socks off, go for a vigorous bike ride, then take her out for a salmon dinner with a green salad and a glass of red wine, followed by a dessert of dark chocolate along with some green tea! 