The pecker in the coalmine.

There's a Spanish comedian that has this fantastic routine about waking up one morning and noticing in the mirror that he had an grown enormous beer gut. A "slight pot belly" he called it affectionately.

He goes on to say, "no problem, if I stop having donuts for breakfast, burgers for lunch, quit drinking a six pack before dinner and cut down on gin and tonics at the strip club twice a week; I'm golden in not time whatsoever".

He then goes, ohh forget it! what about my quality of life!

The audience roars!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Sy15rAgUHJI

 (Warning: the video is in Spanish)

Leo's comedy routine brings up a point that a lot of people share:

 Wellness and fitness is a trade off with quality of life.

Once you buy into that point of view, the answer to all health issues is the magic pill. Magic pills happen to be easy to get. Drug companies make billions at producing extremely potent chemicals that suppress all types of symptoms, at a cost. Doctors are happy to use them because, I think, in their heart of hearts, they believe their patients are completely clueless and they will not have the willpower to do the right thing.

By no means I am against the use of pharmaceuticals for real health problems, but not to combat the effect of poor lifestyles. Leo Harlem, the comedian would say "whaaatt??" I'd rather take a pill for my blood pressure and go have my gin tonics at the strip club. That IS quality of life.

Let me make an observation, quality of life past forty requires some element of wellness or fitness in your day to day routine. Only if your genes are perfect or if you are good at ignoring issues you'll get away with it.

Over the last few years, listening to friends my age (around 50) talk about health issues, a number of the folks that had blood pressure and heart issues for some time, ended up later on, mentioning, indirectly, their Viagra use. I had wondered in my mind if there was a connection between ED and vascular problems.  It seems there is.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/erectile-dysfunction/HB00074

The pecker in the coalmine.  An early warning system for real trouble!

Ultimately, a long lasting quality lifestyle can only be sustained through wellness and fitness.  There are just so many chemical band-aids you can get at the pharmacy to combat lifestyle issues.  There is no limit to how much garbage you can put into your system in just one "good" weekend. Hedonistic lifestyles are pretty hard on you over time.

For my middle aged peers, a good diet and fitness will do more for your sexual life than any amount of Viagra will ever do. It is not about how good your wife looks like or plastic surgery, its about your OWN testosterone levels.  Viagra will not change that.

The path of fitness does not require you to be a saint.  Just beware of how the machine works and what does and does not do you any good.  The path of fitness can make you a very scientific but sexually fulfilled sinner.