Have you’ve been pumping hard but seeing no muscle gains?
Is your woman not happy with you in the bedroom?
Are you always feeling tired and irritable?
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms you may have low testosterone levels
What You Will Learn From This Guide
- Why Testosterone Is Vital To Being A Man
- The Symptoms Of Low Testosterone
- High T Traits Every Man Desires
- The Health Benefits Of Increasing Optimal Testosterone Levels
- 7 Ways To Naturally Increase Testosterone
Why Testosterone Is Important
Testosterone is the male sex hormone that is produced naturally in the body. Although categorized as a male sex hormone, women have it too, but with much lower levels.
Testosterone is what makes a man….. a MAN. The hormone is responsible for male reproduction and sexuality. Its also associated with a number of masculine traits highly sought after by the modern man. Additionally, low levels can also results in a number of undesirable symptoms:
High T Levels
- muscle strength
- muscle mass
- high energy levels
- high concentration levels
- endurance and stamina
- high sex drive
- high confidence levels
Low T Levels
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Prostrate problems
- Erectile dysfunction
- endurance and stamina
- Increased fat storage
- Male breasts
As with everything in life, there’s always a downside. As testosterone levels begin to drop you can experience a reverse of the benefits listed above including these symptoms below:
Not a pretty picture is it?
It turns out that a mans T levels drop by 1% every year. Even more worrying, recent research shows that declining testosterone levels are affecting men at a much younger age.
I hope this has got your attention.
The good news, is that you can do something about it. Its really a matter of taking personal responsibility for your health. A great place to start is acquiring the knowledge and understanding needed to effectively raise testosterone, which is the aim of this guide.
Lets get started.
Do You Have Low T?
Many symptoms of low testosterone levels are similar to many health issues. Therefore, its important to get tested to be absolutely sure you have a low T count. The best way is to arrange a testosterone test through your doctor.
Your doctor will already know this, but healthy levels of testosterone in men range between 230-1000 ng/dL. If your in the lower end of 450 and below, you would be wise to increase that number, especially if you’re age is on the wrong side of 30.
In contrast, high testosterone levels are equally bad. You want to find the sweet spot, which is around the 650 to 750 range.
To recap, if your count is below the normal testosterone level you really need to think about making lifestyle changes or your future isn’t going to look very bright!
Apparently, the best time for a testosterone test is in the morning as this is when your T levels are at their highest.
7 Steps To Naturally Raise Your Testosterone
- Get Lean and Stay Lean
Studies show that fat or obese men are far more likely to have low testosterone levels. For example, one study found that 50% of obese men had subnormal levels of free testosterone.
The study concluded that being overweight was the most probable cause of low test levels in the men. Diabetes, a higher risk among overweight men, contributed further to lowering levels.
There is increasing evidence of a link between low testosterone and belly fat. Fat cells can actually convert testosterone into estrogen, the female sex hormone that can lower test levels even further.
If you’re carrying extra weight around the belly you better think seriously about getting into shape. Start off with cardio exercises to burn off excess body fat. Weight training will increase lean muscle mass which helps to raise testosterone naturally. BTW, lifting weights is a great way to burn fat too.
You also need to look at your diet and eliminate foods that are making you unhealthy. Begin by cutting out highly processed foods and refined carbohydrates. Replace these with testosterone boosting foods such as organic fresh vegetables, lean meats, nuts and seeds, avocados and olive oil.
- Get Plenty Of Beauty Sleep
A lack of quality sleep has reached epidemic proportions and this is having serious repercussions on men’s testosterone levels.
You need quality sleep to maintain your overall health. Its vital for repairing and healing the body from the demands of the day.
Not only that, consistent quality sleep helps to maintain optimal testosterone production.
According to a study by the University of Chicago Medicine poor sleeping pattern can lower testosterone levels in young men by as much as 15%! These men were only getting 5 hours of sleep per night.
So guys, forget the late nights and hit the pillow early. You should be getting at least 6 hours, or ideally 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep time.
- Consume More Fat
I understand if you’re confused by the above title, especially after telling you to lose fat.
However, the fat I’m talking about is the good stuff.
Its the healthy fats you get from olive oil, coconut oil, grass fed beef, raw nuts and seeds, eggs, organic butter and milk that can help naturally increase testosterone.
For years saturated fats have had a bad rap.
In the last 3 decades we’ve replaced animal and vegetable fats with sugars, starchy grains and carbohydrates as our preferred source of energy which is now having a negative impact on our health.
As there’s a strong correlation between diets low in healthy fats and low free testosterone levels in older men you should order a succulent sirloin more often.
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
There are many fads when it comes to exercise and working out, however high intensity interval training or HIIT for short, has stayed the course because of its many health benefits. One in particular, is the beneficial effect it has on increasing testosterone.
Being fat is no fun. Not only do you look crap you feel crap as well and there’s a very good reason for this.
You see, high fat levels have a negative impact on your insulin – an important hormone – for converting foods into energy and regulating blood sugar levels. When insulin levels are too high your energy levels and mood drop and they also make you store more fat!
HIIT involves short high intensity exercise routines that effectively burn body fat and because they’re short they don’t raise your cortisol levels too high. Prolonged exercises lasting more than 45 minutes elevates cortisol which lowers testosterone levels.
- Lift Big Weights
Lifting heavy weights will build muscle mass and strength and these are two important aspects of boosting low testosterone.
For best results, target the largest muscle groups. These are your leg muscles and the best exercises for these are dead lifts and squats.
Recent research shows that slowing down the movement and focusing on form gives the muscles a much more intensive workout.
Do short intense reps rest and repeat. Aim to pump out 8 to 10 reps if you can.
- Avoid Sugar
Most of us don’t realize we’re eating far too much for our good. This isn’t surprising, as the major food companies have become very sophisticated at hiding sugar in food.
Did you know the average American consumes between 12 and 14 teaspoons of sugar on a daily basis.
As humans we instinctively crave sugar because it tastes sweet and provides an instant energy boost.
This is great if you’re chasing wild buffalo for dinner, but for the modern man too much sugar is going to drop testosterone levels like a bomb.
In fact, a recent study found that testosterone levels dropped when sugar was consumed. So, if you want to raise your T, throw out the cake and soda!
- Low Testosterone Boosting Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is known to help to boost levels of testosterone. In addition, it can also help to improve the health of the male reproduction system and increase sperm count.
The best source is the sun, which the body needs to kickstart vitamin D production.
Unfortunately, vitamin D deficiency is reaching epidemic proportions in the West as we spend more of our time stuck indoors.
Low vitamin D levels are worse in northern hemisphere countries were daylight hours are limited, especially during the Winter months.
Its recommended to expose large areas of the skin to the sun such as the arms, legs and back. Expose the skin until it turns a light light pink color. This shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes.
If you live in a climate with a lack of sunshine you may want to consider taking vitamin D supplements. Research suggests that supplementing between 6000 and 8000 IU of vitamin D per day can help reverse low T levels.
Zinc
Zinc is considered to be one of the most important minerals for maintaining healthy testosterone levels.
Research shows men with a zinc deficiency have lower levels of testosterone in their body.
The best way to find if you have a zinc deficiency is to ask your doctor for a blood test.
If the test results show a low reading you can increase levels by adding zinc enriched foods such as oysters, fish, pecan nuts, ginger, green peas and eggs to your diet.
Unfortunately, modern farming and its excessive use of chemical pesticides can drastically deplete zinc as does over cooking food. So, you may wish to consider take supplements containing zinc.
Magnesium
As a mineral, magnesium is well known to help limit the release of cortisol, a hormone produced by the body when under stress. Cortisol also depletes testosterone.
As we lead more stressful lives its important to maintain optimum levels of magnesium to keep cortisol under control.
Therefore, add more magnesium rich foods to your diet. The best sources of magnesium can be found in nuts, garlic, green peas, crab meat and potato skins.
In addition, you can supplement this with a multivitamin or even magnesium oil.
