Some things are inevitable in aging: Wrinkles, creaky bones, getting the senior discount at the movie theater. But while many aspects of aging are set in stone, there is one malady that men seem torn over: Erectile dysfunction. For many men, ED is seen as a normal aspect of aging, as inescapable as white hair. For others, erectile dysfunction is not definitive, and can be kept at bay until the day a man dies. So which camp is right exactly? Will you develop erectile dysfunction once you hit a special age, or is ED avoidable as you age?

Ultimately, it all depends upon how you have lived your life. While ED is typically developed as men age, this is only because the body has been conditioned to develop this issue; if a man makes the right health choices, a man’s erection can stay healthy and strong until he kicks the bucket.

This is because the erection is reliant upon the heart’s ability to supply a steady stream of blood. If the heart is performing properly, blood will be quickly and efficiently sent to the penis, allowing the penis to engorge and become an erection.

If a man makes poor health choices, such as consistently eating poorly and not exercising, the heart and associated blood vessels will begin to degrade with age. This will cause blood output to slow, eventually leading to the man no longer being able to achieve an erection.

That’s not to say that a lifetime of bad choices guarantees that man will develop erectile dysfunction as soon as 60 rolls around. Rather, if a man makes positive changes in his life and works to stay heart healthy, it is possible to undo years of damage to the heart and keep your ticker pumping as it should.

Sure, as you age, probably the last thing you’re going to want to do is work out and eat greens, but being healthy could be the only thing that stands between losing or keeping your erection.