Testosterone is often referred to as the manly hormone. People with higher levels of testosterone build muscle faster and are stronger. They have more energy and burn fat more effectively. There are natural ways to boost your testosterone levels. I have searched the web to find the best ways you can increase your natural testosterone levels.
How to Increase Testosterone Levels
1. Do Compound Exercises
Compound exercises like squats, pull-ups and even push-ups increase natural testosterone production. These compound exercises also increase other muscle building hormones like growth hormone. Make sure that a big enough portion of your workout routine involves compound movements that stimulate more than one muscle group.
2. Get Enough Rest
Over-training can decrease your body's ability to produce testosterone. Make sure that your rest days maximize recovery. Allow your body enough resting time to recover and rebuild. Take a rest week every few months for deep recovery and re-calibration. I've found that I come back stronger after a good rest week (one that is earned, of course). Sleep is also very important. Sleep is the critical time for most bodily changes. Besides building muscle, your body also uses sleep to regulate hormones like testosterone. Not enough sleep will deplete testosterone production.
3. Get Enough Zinc
Fitness.mercola.com says that consuming enough zinc to maintain testosterone levels is very important. It states that besides the muscle growth, hair retention and reproductive health benefits of testosterone; it is needed for maintaining bone density and keeping an optimum red blood cell count. It sites a study where increasing zinc levels for 6 weeks increased this hormone's levels in men who had low testosterone levels to begin with. Getting less zinc reduced testosterone levels and zinc protects you from exercise-induce testosterone reduction. Foods that are high in protein are usually high in zinc. Natural sources of zinc include meat, fish, dairy products and beans. Zinc is also important for regular body maintenance and growth. It is needed for immune function, recovery from injury and blood function. Zinc is also touted as a powerful antioxidant that fights cancer. Since conventional farming methods that use a lot of chemicals can deplete zinc content, try to eat as organic and free-range as possible to increase zinc consumption. Go easy on the tabs, though. Zinc supplementation can benefit those who are deficient on zinc, but too much can restrict iron and copper absorption.
4. Stress Less
According to Authority Nutrition, the stress hormone cortisol will decrease testosterone levels if there is too much of it in your body for a long period of time. Cortisol can reduce testosterone levels very quickly. It says that when cortisol levels are high, testosterone levels are reduced and vice versa, since they balance each other out. Not only does cortisol negatively affect your testosterone levels directly; but indirectly as well. Cortisol makes you eat more food and produce more bad fat, which will also decrease the amount of testosterone that your body creates. Consider what makes you stressed and find ways to deal with these situations. Learn to cope better with situations that you can't change. Dedicate enough time to leisure and pleasurable activities and attempt to find a good balance between work and play. Things like exercise, healthy food, laughter and companionship decrease cortisol levels.
5. Eat Fat
www.jackedfactory.com explains that fat is needed to produce testosterone and that low fat diets hamper hormone production in general. Saturated fats (like the cholesterol found in egg yolks) are dangerous in large quantities, but small amounts are needed for the body to function properly. This saturated fat is needed for a strong heart and testosterone function, among other things. Testosterone is actually formed using cholesterol. Fat sources should make up 30% of your total caloric intake. 15-25% of these fat sources should consist of saturated fats. Saturated fats can be found in meat and dairy foods. You don't need any Trans fats, so you can steer clear of those. Trans fats are found in processed oils, baked foods like cakes and biscuits and fried foods. Fats from avocados, fish, nuts and seeds are good for you (when you get them from the food source, not processed).
6. Get the D
www.bodybuilding.com said that vitamin D is arguably the most important vitamin for testosterone production. It cites a study that found that people who were deficient in this vitamin had less testosterone than those who had higher vitamin D levels. You get vitamin D from the sun. Looks like tanning is good for you after all! Just be safe and don't get burnt - that's when skin damage and cancer becomes a risk. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and combats depression, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. People who have more fat often have lower vitamin D levels. This is because fat gets in the way of this little vitamin. Studies have found vitamin D to speed up weight loss in obese individuals. Salmon and mackerel are good food sources of vitamin D.
7. Avoid Alcohol
The Editors of Men's Health say that alcohol decreases testosterone levels. They referred to a study where men drank a medium amount of alcohol every day for 3
weeks. These men had 7% less testosterone than before they started the drinking
study. Men’s Health recommends limiting yourself to 1-2 glasses of beer or wine
per day to protect your precious testosterone levels. Alcohol also hampers your body's ability to build muscle. When there is alcohol in your blood stream, your body prioritizes the metabolism of the alcohol instead of turning protein into new muscle tissue.
8. Ginger Ninja
Eat ginger and add it to your food whenever you can. www.mensfitness.com states that ginger is one of the best foods for increasing your T-count. In a study, ginger was found to increase testosterone levels and even increase semen quality in infertile men. Ginger is regarded as a super-food because of its many benefits. These benefits include relief from nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness, morning sickness and pain. It is a powerful immune booster and aids in cancer prevention. It has been shown to decrease the duration of illnesses like flu or colds and make them more bearable. Some even eat it to decrease muscle pain from exercise so that they recover quicker!
I would like to hear other great ways to naturally boost your testosterone levels in the comment below. STAY STRONG!
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