You are of course totally correct in assuming that smoking affects your sex life. In fact, several recent studies have looked at exactly this question in regard to male impotence and found that there is a link between smoking and difficulties having an erection. Now tell me how cool is that? That is surely far too grown up, that is as grown up as your aged grandfather!

Smoking has been linked to coronary artery blockage, but now we know that arteries in the penis are damaged by smoking, too. In a study of men with penile artery blockage (average age 35), the smokers were significantly more blocked than non-smokers. And the more they smoked, the more their arteries were blocked. Since erections are mainly caused by blood flowing into the penis through arteries, unclogged arteries are very important in enhancing one’s sex life.

Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it tightens blood vessels and restricts blood flow. In the long term, it has even been shown to cause permanent damage to arteries. Since a man’s erection depends on blood flow, researchers assumed smoking would affect erections. Studies have confirmed this time and again. In one study published in 1986 in Addiction Behavior, it was shown that just two cigarettes could cause softer erections in male smokers. Results are corroborated by a definitive study published in June 2001 that looked at all studies done on impotent men over the last two decades. The research showed that 40 percent of men affected by impotence were smokers, as opposed to 28 percent of the general male population. Interesting eh?

So what does all this discussion about impotence mean for women? During sexual arousal, the labia, clitoris, and vagina also swell up with blood, similar to a man’s penis, enhancing sensation and arousal. If nicotine can restrict blood flow and cause erectile dysfunction in men, it can be assumed that blood flow is restricted in women as well, and may have a negative effect on sensation.

In the British Medical Associations report: “Smoking and Reproductive Life”, the report states that Women who smoke take longer to conceive. Among smokers, the chances of conceiving fall by 10 ñ 40 per cent per cycle. The greater the quantity of cigarettes smoked, the longer a woman is likely to take to achieve pregnancy.

Cigarette smoking can also affect male fertility: smoking reduces the quality of semen. Men who smoke have a lower sperm count than non-smokers, and their semen contains a higher proportion of malformed sperm. By-products of nicotine present in semen of smokers have been found to reduce the mobility of sperm.

Of course, quitting smoking would also eliminate stained teeth, unhealthy skin, rapid accumulation of wrinkles on the face, and clothing, hair, and breath that stink of smoke. That might improve one’s sex life. Decreasing your risk of cancer and heart disease ó which also do tend to have negative effects on one’s sex life ó can also be sexy in the long run.

Smokers may have enjoyed a sexy image in the past, but research tells us that they are not “doing it” as often as non-smokers. Studies show that men between 25 and 40 years who smoked one or more packs per day had sex less often than non-smoking men of the same age. Another study suggested that carbon monoxide in the blood caused by smoking inhibits the production of testosterone (a hormone that creates sex drive).

Lastly, smoking affects fertility. Smokers’ sperm come in many sizes and shapes – many of them not normal. Some have two tails or two heads, others have giant or tiny heads, and some have split tails. The more a man smokes, the worse the damage. Nicotine essentially poisons the sperm and its ability to fertilize an egg.

Smoking isn’t good for your lungs or heart as is very well documented, and it certainly isn’t good for your sex life. It is no longer cool. Are you sleeping with an inactive ashtray? Is your libido being smoked away?

Where are the real men of yesterday? The ones who worked hard all day till their muscles burned; the ones with blisters on their hands and calluses on their feet, the man that women swoon for at first sight? The answer is, “They’re all dead.  All that’s left is us backstabbing, spineless, slithering yes-men.”

The real men may be dead, but their lessons from the past, live on. Let’s learn from our forefathers, what it means to be a man’s man…

#1    A Man Must Be Bold
In Chinese philosophy, a man’s body composes mainly of Yang chi, the essence of male energy, representing vigor and vitality. Yang is forceful, the aggressor, and symbolized by fire and heat. Women on the other hand, compose of Yin chi, the cooling, receptive energy that surrounds everything. Yin is subtle, the receiver, and represented by flowing water.

Being a man, it is your duty to represent the essence of Yang chi. There is no time for beating around the bush, being too shy to ask for what you want, and being unsure of yourself. You have to be bold; it is your duty to be bold. You are the Yang, the aggressor. If you want to know a woman, you have to make the approach. You can’t possibly wait for her to make the approach, she’s Yin. She’s the shy, receptive one who is waiting for you to approach her. Let her be the Yin, don’t try to reverse roles and be the shy man who can’t even say “Hi“. I’ve never heard someone say, “Hah, he’s such a wuss for thinking she would even talk to him“… What you will usually hear is, “Wow man, you’ve got guts! I wish I could do that.”

Women are attracted to men who can be their pillar of strength, someone they can lean on, a shoulder to cry on; boldness is a representation of that inner strength. You can define boldness as “the courage to act“, turning your fear into strength, accepting rejection and pain as a natural consequence for daring to achieve your dreams.

Boldness also applies to business and life in general. The British Special Air Service (SAS) has a famous motto: “Who Dares Wins“. If you’ve got the brains, the guts and the tenacity, then chances are, success is yours. Listen to what German Philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

#2    A Man Must Live with Honor
Honoris a virtue of the Gentleman. Having honor means that you commit yourself to following a specific set of moral guidelines. People trust an honorable person’s word as a guarantee of future moral performance. Nowadays, we sometimes use the word “Integrity” to represent honor.
Learning to live with honor will make you more of a man than ten years of corporate snakes and ladders can. Your promise must be a solemn commitment that you will keep to, no matter what. Your word must be as good as gold, if not better.

Building an honorable reputation is no easy task. It means total commitment to upholding your integrity and living your life by defined moral principles. If you are successful, your good name will spread. People will recognize you as a trustworthy individual, whom they can count on to take care of the largest responsibilities, and entrust with the most confidential secrets. Taking on more responsibilities and secrets, can raise your life to new levels of prosperity and plenty. But be warned, if you ever breach that trust by committing just one selfish or perverse act, what could take you a lifetime to establish, you can destroy overnight.

In the present Communication Age, good news travels fast and bad news travels even faster. The only way to stop the bad news is to never allow it to be created. So mind your actions because people listen to what you say, but they watch what you do.

Place your hand over your heart and say:
“Let my principles be my guiding light, distilled from my highest wisdom about what is right. Let my morals stand tall and true, let them choose what I do.”
Now touch your head and say: “So Be It!”

Make a difference today, put your foot down and be bold about upholding your honor. Adhere to your principles. Never do anything that would compromise your integrity and the trust people have in you. In return for your efforts, you will create more flow in your life; opportunities will come faster and more abundantly. You will have the chance to live your life to its fullest potential and splendor. So be a man of honor, your life depends on it.

#3    A Man Must Be Magnanimous
Magnanimous means to have a generous, forgiving and noble nature. Simply put, magnanimous people have a big heart. They are gracious and kind, philanthropic and benevolent. A magnanimous gentleman gives generously and expects nothing in return. He takes joy simply in seeing those around him happy. He is an intriguing conversationalist and tells jokes to make others laugh.

A man’s magnanimity does not allow him to easily take offense at the words and actions of others. Anything potentially offensive is simply seen for what it truly is wind passing through the trees. Like bamboo, he will never break, but only bend with the direction of the wind.

When you have mastered magnanimity, you will intuitively understand that there is a Law of Increasing Returns in the universe which states, “Whatever you give out will come back to you ten times stronger.” For example, if you look down on someone, ten more people will look down on you. If you cheat $500 from an old woman, sometime down the road, you will lose $5000. Likewise, if you contribute $200 out of the goodness of your heart, $2000 will be available for you to earn back. Perhaps through your business or in a sudden lottery windfall.

If you choose to let your greed get the better of you, manipulate others to your benefit, and refuse to help the needy, you can only expect poverty, hate and disappointment to head your way. You reap what you sow; you get whatever you give out. This is a universal law.

A magnanimous man knows that helping others does not exhaust his resources, but rather because of the Law of Increasing Returns, it increases his resources tenfold, allowing him to do more good for the world. He knows that in helping others, he is also helping himself.

Develop the habit of solving other people problems and you become a more generative person. You produce and contribute more than the average guy, and thus earn more because you deliver more value to others.

Take little steps starting today, to make these characteristics a part of your character. Help someone in need, keep a promise, dare to speak up. Challenge yourself to become a manís man: Be Bold, be Honourable, Be Magnanimous.

Staff at his local breast clinic even assumed that Place was accompanying a female patient during his check up. The confusion is understandable. Only about less than 1% of breast cancers diagnosed occur in men. The rarity of breast cancer in men leaves so much room for research regarding the condition.

According to Dr. Larissa Korde, staff clinician at the National Cancer Institute’s clinical genetics branch, “In women, we have studies based on hundreds of thousands of patients.” However, there are no studies of that scale in men. “Though much can be extrapolated from research in women,” said Korde, ” it’s a little bit harder to make recommendations for men based on evidence.”

One of the surest risk factors to consider is family medical history, that is, for both men and women. At the time of Place’s diagnosis, two female relatives of his had died of breast cancer and a third of ovarian cancer. However, several genes may contribute to breast cancer, such as mutations which are known to increase the possibilities of both breast and ovarian cancers. Although most men might never even meet a man with breast cancer, those who have several relatives diagnosed with breast cancer should be wary for signs of their own breast tumors. Based on studies, certain populations with an unusually high proportion of people carrying BRCA2 mutations may have a higher incidence rate of breast cancer in men, such as in Sweden, Hungary, Iceland, and among Ashkenazi Jews.

There are similarities in the survival rates for men and women as they adjust in the stage of the disease at diagnosis. But since men do not undergo a regular screening like women do, they are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage. The lumps may not always be detected by medical scanning equipment.

Medical treatment usually includes surgery, to be followed by some combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. With men, an additional hormone treatment is necessary because almost all men with breast cancer have tumors characterized as hormone-receptor-positive.

After two years of medical treatment and therapy, Place is now doing well. Two years after his diagnosis, Place is well enough to play contact sports. The mastectomy was successful, and Place has decided to discontinue his hormone treatment due to its side effects like hot flashes which he found to be very unpleasant.

Brian Place is now an active participant in online discussions and support group communities for cancer patients. He tries to answer questions regarding male breast-cancer conditions. Place also gives talks to people who contact him through the U.K. nonprofit Breast Cancer Care. Although there are women who are not yet accustomed to men with breast cancer condition, time and awareness can help address the issue.

Today’s males say shaving the pubic hairs on and around their penis is a way to feel fresh and look neat and clean. And cleanly shaving their shaft allows a condom to slip on and off much easier.

These are very good reasons to support shaving the penis indeed.

But – If a male is being totally honest, he’ll tell you that he is shaving his pubic hair because it gives his penis the appearance of being larger and it gets a lot more, ahem, attention when it’s cleanly shaved.

So for those of you males who are interested – Here are a few things you should know before shaving on and around your penis:

1) Never start shaving your penis unless you’re sober and fully alert. The pubic area is much more sensitive than your face, which means it’s much easier to hurt yourself, so you want your wits about you.

2) And while penis shaving is pretty easy to do, it does require patience and care.

3) If you’re shaving for the first time and have long pubic hairs, trim them with scissors or better yet, a hair trimmer.

4) Take a long, hot shower or bath. This will open the follicles, (the skin depressions from which hair emerges), and soften your naturally coarse pubic hairs to make shaving easier.

5) Pat dry your shaft and surrounding area with a soft, clean towel.

6) Apply a generous amount of a rich lubricant. Allow this to sit for at least 3 minutes before you begin shaving.

7) ALWAYS use a new blade in your razor.

Note: It’s rumored that if you start shaving your general pubic area, testicles, and inner thighs, you’ll get the best optical illusion, er, affect of a larger penis.

If you do decide to start shaving your general pubic area and inner thighs while you’re at it, make sure another new blade is easily available so you can change blades if your razor starts to drag.

Start by shaving the penis in the direction the hair grows, making sure you shave all sides. If it isn’t already erect, gently pull your penis upwards. This will make it easier to shave.

Once you’ve removed all hairs, go back and shave against the way the hair grows. This will give you the clean, close and smooth shave you’re after. But don’t shave the same area more than this second time or apply too much pressure. The last thing you want is a razor burn on your penis from shaving.

After shaving your penis, make sure to completely rinse off any traces of the lubricant with warm water. Then rinse with cold water. This will close and calm the follicles and generally tone the skin.

Pat, don’t rub, your penis dry with a clean, soft towel.

Some males apply a non stinging astringent after shaving. But to avoid any reaction, just lightly dust your penis with a talc free powder or plain cornstarch.

Ultimately, you want to prevent any kind of irritation to this newly raw skin. So focus on keeping it dry and doing what you can to limit initial friction. If you don’t already, wear some loose fitting boxer shorts for a while after shaving.

Many males go as long as possible between shaves in the belief that it will reduce skin irritation. But it’s been suggested that the incoming hair stubble is what causes skin problems, so shaving more often is actually better.

Males who are very physically active are usually shaving every other day.

While it’s a fact that eventually, after regular shaving, the hairs will become weaker and softer and your penis will remain smoother – If you’re not ready, able and willing to follow the regimen outlined here, you probably shouldn’t start shaving your penis.

Because anyone will tell you, there’s only one thing worse than a hairy penis – And that’s a stubbly, scabby penis.

A dry shaver is definitely the safest penis shaver. Do some research and discover the compact shaver that’s designed specifically for safely shaving the penis.

It’s the scary but true fact of getting old as a man. For instance, every man should know that prostate cancer is one of the most common prostate problems out there. It tops the list of cancers that afflict men, happening in nearly as many men, roughly speaking, as breast cancer in women. Prostate cancer doesn’t get the press that breast cancer does, however, probably because most men would rather not speak about what’s happening down there.

The second thing most men don’t, but should know is exactly what that prostate is. A prostate is actually part of a man’s sexual organs. Located just below the bladder in a man, wrapped around the urethra, the prostate is about the size of a walnut. Its main job in the birds-and-bees scheme of things is to add fluid to your sperm during ejaculation.

And most of the time, men don’t even realize they have a prostate because it’s a hidden internal organ, but all men find out quickly what and where their prostate is when they suffer a common prostate problem.

For instance, all men should know that prostate issues aren’t just for older men. Men under 50 can get prostatitis, or an extremely painful infection of their prostate. This is a swelling of the prostate that can cause fever, a burning sensation during urination, and fatigue.

And all men over 50 should be aware of their number one most common prostate problem, which is an enlarged prostate, or benign prostatic hypertrophy. This benign, or nonfatal condition, is actually far more common in older men than prostate cancer, which should give some relief to older men when they know it.

Men should all be aware of the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy, such as leaking and dribbling during urination, a weak urine stream, trouble getting started with urination, and even small amounts of blood in the urine.

And though benign prostatic hypertrophy is more common than prostate cancer, men should be aware that the two can go hand in hand. It’s not always the case, and many men with an enlarged prostate will never develop into cancer. But it’s good to keep your eyes out for both, because they can have similar symptoms.

You can have a perfect forehead, chin, smile, and even a perfect pair of dimples but none of these will start a woman’s sexual motor. You can work out at the gym all week long, week after week and look like Mr. Atlas, but you aren’t going to start a woman’s sexual motor with your muscles.

Granted, you might get her attention for a brief moment just like any other kind of abnormality she might notice would get her attention ñ but your looks wonít turn her sexual motor on. Why? Once a woman decides to enter into a relationship, looks no longer matter to her ñ if they ever mattered to her at all.

Now, I’m not dismissing the necessity for neatness, trimness, and cleanliness. These are things a woman expects of a man. But, they are not what start her sexual motor.

It’s Not In What You Have…

You can wave big wads of cash around. You can wear Armani suits. You can wear a Rolex. You can drive a super expensive car. You can flaunt any other material possessions in front of a woman and you simply aren’t going to turn her on. (As obvious as this may seem, there are men worldwide trying to capture a woman’s attention by means of their possessions.)

The danger with this approach is that you may trigger her “greed factor” such that she is attracted to you in terms of what she can “get” from you. But, because she’s not being true to herself, sex will be something she despises. This phenomenon can easily be seen in “marriages” where an attractive young woman is married to an old and wealthy man. Both the man and the woman know that the marriage is based on purely selfish motives and nobody’s sexual motor has ever been started based on selfishness.

It’s Not Your Social Status…

Many men mistakenly believe that if they were in a position of prominence, or if they were a celebrity, or if they held some kind of high-profile social rank, that they would then be able to start a woman’s sexual motor.

And in fact, there are cases where a woman is attracted to a high social status man simply for the attention and prestige that being affiliated with such a man will bring to her.

But once again, this kind of a relationship is founded on shallow and hollow premises. And, as it has been proven again and again, the very thing the woman was attracted to will soon become the thing she despises the most. And when a woman despises, her sexual motor is definitely turned off.

The number of women throughout history who have left high-profile men in favor of a “no-name” man is incalculable. In fact, the tabloid magazines show us this phenomenon on a regular basis where some starlet has dumped the celebrity she has been dating and is now dating some unknown man who is just short of being down-right ugly. Why would women do this? Because the “no-name” guy clearly knows how to start her sexual motor while the prominent guy did not.

Yes, penis size does matter, but not in the way that you may think.

After asking several hundred women over 18 years old, sizes, ethnicities, and sexual habits, 82% of these women answered that were happy with a penis that was big enough to satisfy them, which averaged at about 6 inches, that is just about the average penis size for men. Of course, there was a small percentage (9%) who wanted a penis that was larger than average (7 to 8 inches). Fewer women (2%) said that they preferred huge-sized penises (larger than 10 to 12 inches).

Penises much larger than average can cause some difficulties during sex. In fact, many women who dated men with abnormally larger penises complained that they weren’t able to comfortably enjoy certain sexual positions, nor were they able to adequately give oral sex.

But… when asked whether length or girth was more important, most women opted for girth, as they claimed to enjoy the feeling of a thick penis against their vaginal walls rather than having an unusually long penis poking against their insides. The length has to be proportional to the width. And what would that be? I suppose that would be the average.

Other important things:

56% expect a penis to more or less match the complexion of the rest of a man’s body.

23% expect a penis to feel very smooth.

21% weren’t very happy about an abundance of veins.

So, if you’re below average, you have two options:

- there are other ways in which to satisfy your woman, so explore your options;

- you can also try some methods to enlarge your penis…