What is testosterone?
Testosterone is the magic juice that all men have and want more of.
Testosterone is the dominant sex hormone in men that regulates our libido (sex drive), bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and the production of red blood cells and sperm.
It’s also responsible for all the hair growth on our body. So when we see a man with a carpet on his chest and face it’s safe to assume he is loaded with a generous amount of testosterone.
Why even talk about this?
There is an attack on masculinity gentlemen and reducing our testosterone is the first step in making men less masculine because it takes away our manliness. They try and fill us with estrogen-filled foods and keep us from sleeping with Tik Tok and YouTube, but it won’t work. I admit even I have done this, indulging in fast food and endless scrolling. We all have done this.
I am on a quest for masculinity. You and I will be on this quest until the day Jesus comes back to take us home because we can always be better. Not better than our fellow man but better than we were yesterday.
We as a collective can change our lifestyle to maximise our testosterone production to function better as men.
As I have said before, men have to be as manly as possible. No woman wants to come home to her man painting his nails. What a turn-off. She wants a man that looks like he can kill a bear if he has to.
Now Gents, here are 5 things that I do to increase my testosterone production.
How to boost testosterone?
1. Exercise and Weightlifting
Exercise is one of the most effective ways to prevent many lifestyle-related diseases and keep up general health. Not only that but it can also boost your testosterone levels.
One 2015 study showed that men with obesity found that increased physical activity was more beneficial than counting calories for increasing testosterone levels.
Weightlifting is also found to boost testosterone levels.
The workouts that may boost our testosterone levels involve large muscle groups. So, for example, biceps curls may not be enough to give you that boost since the biceps are quite small. But squats or deadlifts, which are compound workouts, are more likely to boost testosterone.
One 30-minute weightlifting session increased testosterone levels by 21.6% in men.
A 2012 study of men found that exercising regularly was linked to higher testosterone levels than men who didn’t work out at all.
Which Types of Exercises Impact Testosterone Most? You may ask, well according to Mens Health research suggests that strength exercises and High Intensity interval Training (HIIT) can increase testosterone levels. Endurance-based exercises, like cardio, can potentially reduce testosterone.
So to all the married men out there, you are in luck because having sex can actually increase your testosterone production. If you are not frequently having sex this is likely to reduce your testosterone levels.
So the only good cardio is bedroom cardio.
2. High protein, high-fat diet.
Eating enough protein can help us maintain and boost healthy testosterone levels and can help us lose fat and build muscle.
What we eat can affect our hormones. So eating cereal all day is not going to help anyone boost their testosterone.
Eating plenty of healthy fats may also help to boost testosterone levels and aid in hormone balance.
Some research shows that a low-fat diet could actually decrease testosterone levels. Another study done by Mens Health has shown that men who eat more monounsaturated fat (one of the healthy fats) have higher testosterone levels.
A diet that consists of whole foods is the best, take-out -as much as we like it- will do us more harm than good.
I recently started with the intermitted fasting and Keto-type high protein, high-fat diet and I can honestly say, it works. I have a lot more energy throughout the day, I have lost about 3kg of fat and my chest hair has grown into a magnificent forest and I was hairy to begin with.
This was all because I cut out as much processed sugar, dairy and gluten as I could.
Bread isn’t what it used to be. A few hundred years ago people were thriving on delicious homemade bread and now it makes me fat. Such a shame because I love bread.
3. Stress management
Sudden elevations in cortisol can quickly reduce testosterone. These hormones often work like a seesaw: As one goes up, the other comes down.
That’s why it’s good to have hobbies that help reduce stress: Go shooting with your friends or family, go hiking and connect with nature, go work out or have more frequent sex with your spouse.
All these examples have been tried and proven to mentally and then by extension physically reduce stress levels.
One of the examples that has a chemical effect on stress levels is sex.
Sex can help us to relax and take our minds off everyday worries and anxieties.
During sex, your body releases endorphins and oxytocin. These “feel-good” hormones create sensations of relaxation and intimacy, as well as help to stave off anxiety and depression.
Disclaimer: This isn’t a one-night stand type thing. This refers to intimate, passionate and safe sex with your wife. Meaningless sex doesn’t create a safe and relaxing environment.
4. Get some sun.
Some research shows that low levels of vitamin D may be linked to lower testosterone levels, which makes sense seeing as we spend most of our time inside.
There really is a link between Vitamin D and Testosterone. One large-scale study showed a 30% increase in total testosterone and improvements in erectile dysfunction after taking Vitamin D. Some data has even shown that just sunlight can increase Testosterone.
In the UK, experts say that for those of us with fair skin, about 10 to 15 min of daily sun exposure is adequate and for dark-skinned gentlemen about 25 to 40 min.
Keep in mind, regardless of skin tone, spending more time in the sun than the recommended amount may increase our risk of sunburn which can lead to skin cancer. For this reason, we should apply sunscreen before going outside. This is especially necessary if we are going to be out longer than 10 to 30 minutes.
“Studies have never found that everyday sunscreen use leads to vitamin D insufficiency. In fact, people who use sunscreen daily can maintain their vitamin D levels.” – The Skin Cancer Foundation
5. High-quality Sleep
Our quality of sleep has a major effect on overall hormone levels. In fact, one study involving 2,295 teenage boys and men found that impaired sleep could be linked to lower levels of testosterone.
The ideal amount of sleep varies from person to person, but a small 2011 study found that sleeping only 5 hours per night was linked to a 10%–15% reduction in testosterone levels.
The ideal is 7 hours of quality sleep.
A lot of factors can influence our quality of sleep. Some of these include our daily intake of caffeine and prolonged exposure to blue light before bed. Both factors influence how well our circadian rhythm functions, which determines our quality of sleep.
We have all done this when we are on our phones or laptops until the early morning hours, then we try to sleep but it just doesn’t work. That is because our mind didn’t have time to wind down and is still processing the overload of information.
That night’s sleep sucks.
Whereas on the contrary, when we unwind before bed and go to bed at a reasonable hour, we sleep soundly and feel rejuvenated the next morning
6. Fun fact.
High exposure to estrogen-like chemicals may also affect testosterone levels.
Try to minimize daily exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA), parabens, and other chemicals found in some types of plastic
Chronic exposure to polystyrene microplastics induced male reproductive toxicity and decreased testosterone levels via the LH-mediated LHR/cAMP/PKA/StAR pathway. Part Fibre Toxicol. (Medical lingo for toxic chemicals)
Those men with the highest level of microplastics in their blood were associated with a 10.8 to 24% decline in testosterone – National Library of Medicine
All of the above-mentioned are chemicals in plastics that are harmful to the human body.
Thus, Gents, heating up food in plastic containers leads to the reduction of testosterone levels and cause reproductive toxicity because the plastic releases all the microplastics and other harmful chemicals into your food.
Conclusion.
Gents, we have an obligation to live a healthy lifestyle in order to keep our testosterone high because it’s such an essential part of manhood.
As we grow older and greyer our testosterone levels gradually decrease so we have to do what we can to slow the decline.
Follow the steps above so that you can live an amazing and healthy life and enjoy your body to the fullest. These steps have worked for me and I know they will work for you too.
We can see a low-testosterone man from a mile away, let’s not be that guy and let’s help that guy live to his full potential with his God-given magic juice … Testosterone.
"It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”
