So what exactly is testosterone? Why is it important?
Testosterone is a powerful steroid hormone produced in the testicles in men and in the ovaries of women. Both benefit greatly from this hormone and it’s absolutely essential to maintain healthy levels, especially if you’re physically active. Your T-levels are responsible for a lot of things including muscle mass, reproductive and sexual function, hair growth, bone density, red blood cells, a healthy pain response, better sleep patterns, immunocompetence, and cognitive functions.
Unfortunately, most men suffer from a steady decline in their T-levels at around the age of 25-30 years old. Other causes of a decrease would be food and other substances that mimic estrogen. Another huge factor is that most people tend to take less care of themselves in the later stages of their life as they exercise less and are more prone to following an unhealthy diet.
Studies have shown evidence that a decrease in this hormone causes several concerns including potential health risks such as a higher chance of prostate cancer, diabetes, heart disease and even premature death. Lower T-Levels can also cause loss of confidence, depression, a decrease in libido, reduced stamina, a frequency of joint pain and bone fractures, and an increase in fat buildup.
Further studies on the matter show an importance of having optimum T-levels both as a primary health concern and for people who want to rapidly gain muscle mass. So, without further ado, here are the top 5 ways to naturally increase testosterone levels.
1. Be More Active!
There are crazy amounts of benefits you can get from proper exercise and coincidentally, it’s also a great way to boost your T-levels. Based on the information from the Endocrine Society in 2012, people who are overweight are more likely to experience a decline in their T-levels and even accelerate it.However, It’s not just about going to the gym and doing reps. The type of workouts you do, proper timing, and your own personal fitness and wellbeing are huge factors for the efficacy of exercise in relation to your testosterone levels. Based on studies, the most effective forms of exercise would be high-intensity interval training or HIIT.
HIIT is a form of cardiovascular training that focuses on high bursts of intense workouts in controlled periods of time coupled with fewer recovery periods. It’s meant to keep your heart rate up and to quickly burn fat by increasing your metabolism. This type of workout is designed to increase oxygen intake as well which helps your body maximize the results of your workout. Short bursts of intense physical workouts have shown higher results regarding testosterone production than a longer fitness routine.
Resistance training or weightlifting, on the other hand, is another great way to boost testosterone if you focus on compound workouts that target large muscle groups.
Examples of workouts that boost T-levels would be bench presses, squats, and curls. This type of workout is amazing for your intended purpose as it promotes an anabolic state in your body which promotes muscle gain and healthy weight loss. The more muscles you use, and the shorter your rest periods are, the better the results.
Aside from the type of workout, the timing is also important as your testosterone levels vary throughout the day. Studies have shown that exercising in the afternoon when your T-levels are low is the best time for maintaining optimum levels. One of the most important things about this method is to make sure that you are able to stick to your workout regimen. Consistency counts for more since your body gets used to the physical exertion and you will eventually get a lower hormone response for your workouts so maintenance is very important.
2. Eat More (Healthy) Fat
Your diet plays a huge part in making sure your hormones and other faculties are at optimum and healthy levels. There’s been evidence of how malnutrition or excessive eating can cause your T-levels to drop considerably.
Now there’s a common misconception that giving up fatty foods is the way to go about losing weight. In fact, studies have shown that eliminating fat from your diet completely has shown more adverse effects and damaging results to your physique than having controlled amounts. Including healthy monounsaturated and saturated fat in your diet has shown to aid the production of testosterone. Great examples of good fat would be from olive oil, avocados, almonds, and red meat. All of which give you a boost of energy that can help you maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. The general recommended amount of fat should be about 30% of your caloric intake, especially if you’re into intense workouts.
Here’s an in-depth breakdown of the recommended fat intake:
- Omega 3’s: 40%
- Monounsaturated fat: 25-35%
- Saturated fat: 20-30%
3. Reduce Processed Food
Looking at food production nowadays, it’s incredibly worrying seeing the amount of processed food with crazy amounts of fructose. Processed sugars and foods are the biggest contributors to weight gain and obesity, especially in first world countries. Making sure that you consume ideally less than 25 grams per day would greatly help you lose weight.
Another main contributor to weight gain that often falls under the radar would be processed or refined carbohydrates. Things such as pretzels, bagels, cereal and pasta often contribute to terrible nutrition and rapid weight gain which can really affect your hormones. A diet based on whole foods is the best way to ensure physical well-being.
4. Intermittent Fasting
First off, contrary to the term, it’s not actually starving yourself but a proper regulation of your food intake. The science behind this is maximizing the nutrients your body can absorb to help reduce the chances of overeating and malnutrition. It’s highly recommended for weight loss as it’s not as intense as most methods and it actually promotes healthy eating habits and positive behavioral changes. It also helps boost satiety hormones which help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.
There have been studies of how intermittent fasting has proven to increase testosterone levels significantly as it boosts anabolic hormones and decreasing the hormone Leptin which boosts testosterone secretion in your body.
5. A Change in Lifestyle
Your physical well-being is largely dependent upon your personal lifestyle choices. In most cases, testosterone levels significantly decrease due to bad habits such as alcohol consumption. As alcohol is a depressant, it inhibits a lot of your bodily functions. Serious alcoholism has shown to cause oxidative damage to your testicular Leydig cells and even cause irregularities in your hormones. In some severe cases, it can even increase your estrogen levels due to the influx of aromatase enzymes which converts male hormones to female.
Another important thing is to make sure you get enough sun. Vitamin D, as well as Zinc, has shown positive results regarding T-levels. Studies have shown that healthy doses have shown great improvements in testosterone production as these substances are known to regulate and stimulate testosterone production.
Aside from that, one of the best things you can do to improve your lifestyle is to make sure you get enough shuteye. The amount of sleep you get directly correlates to your testosterone levels in the morning thus affecting muscle growth, and weight loss. It’s important to always get at the very least 7-10 hours for optimum T-levels and wellbeing.
6. Stay Away from Stress
It’s very difficult to avoid stress, especially for people who have regular day jobs. However, it’s shown that staying away from stress has shown positive effects regarding testosterone production. Stress produces the hormone Cortisol which directly affects testosterone by blocking its effects. In most cases, there’s a significant drop in testosterone for people who suffer from long-term, chronic stress.
It’s highly recommended that you try to take care of your health by engaging in activities that can help reduce stress for overall long-term health. It’s also good to take a step back from work and overtime and spend your time doing things you enjoy or activities that are otherwise relaxing. A great suggestion (which is directly related to boosting your T-levels) would be ample amounts of exercise.
Conclusion
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually need to take various supplements to raise your testosterone levels. While there are generally great, natural supplements that can help, it is possible to achieve healthy T-levels with proper diet, ample and consistent exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle. As with other hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, both men and women can benefit greatly from following this short and simple list.
Keep in mind that progression and hormone balance may take a few days or weeks and it takes a lot of commitment so sticking with it is the best thing you can do to improve. It’s also important to note that if you may be suffering from certain kinds of deficiencies or hormonal problems, you might need to seek other methods and possibly medical attention.
With that being said, I hope that this list was helpful in providing insight to boosting your testosterone levels. If you enjoyed it I highly encourage you to let us know what you think and to share it with your friends.
