Testosterone is the holy grail of male hormone. Its powers are almost mythical and no wonder it’s one of the main drivers of physical changes.
At puberty, testosterone results in increased muscle mass, deeper voice, and hair growth.
Testosterone is equally essential at adulthood and old age as it boosts immunity, lowers the risk of diseases, supports your mood, improves quality of sleep, boosts n sexual function and improves your overall quality of life.
Unfortunately, testosterone levels start to decline with age, particularly once men hit the age of about 30.
This drop negatively alters the balance between the levels of testosterone and estrogen, resulting to a myriad of potential health issues such as slowed metabolism, increased weight, low libido, reduced strength, and reduced bone mineral density.
This is not to mention it places them at a greater risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Thankfully, there are several ways that men can improve on the testosterone levels, and in this article, we shall share with you five effective tips of boosting testosterone levels.
- Watch Your Diet
What you eat has a significant influence on your testosterone as well as other hormone levels.
Now, if you are looking to stabilize and boost your testosterone, you will need to focus on the anti-inflammatory diet.
Your diet should be filled with phytonutrient-rich fruits, and veggies alongside grains and a moderate dose of healthy fats, carbs, and proteins that help in stimulating higher levels of insulin and cortisol.
Though fats are often demonized, do not shy away from the healthy fats as they are extremely critical for good hormone function. Some of the excellent sources of good fats include avocados, coconut, and olive oil.
Diet aside, it’s essential that you have a calorie intake and diet strategy in place. Constant dieting or overeating, for instance, will only but disrupt your testosterone levels. We recommend that you eat moderately without restricting your calories too much for too long.
Most importantly, let your diet feature whole foods as this will help in optimizing both the testosterone levels and your overall health.
- Consume Testosterone-Boosting Ingredients
While still at diet, you need to understand that various ingredients are linked with a boost in the testosterone levels.
Consuming these individual ingredients will go a long way in improving your overall testosterone levels.
Some of these ingredients include:
- Zinc
Zinc is a dietary mineral, often promoted for boosting testosterone.
However, zinc supplementation is only handy to those with zinc-deficiency, but that could be you. In particular, it’s handy for the athletes and individuals who sweat a lot as zinc is lost through sweat.
Zinc deficiency is associated with low testosterone levels, and supplementing your body with zinc will bring the levels back to normal.
However, as we mentioned above, zinc is only handy for those with zinc deficiency, and increasing zinc levels above normal body level will not increase the hormone any further.
- Testofen (Fenugreek Extract)
Testofen is the standardized extract of fenugreek and has been tied to promoting testosterone, increasing muscle mass, and improving on the sexual drive.
Though research on the viability of this extract is still underway, preliminary findings indicate that supplementing your body or six weeks on Testofen will significantly improve on the testosterone levels.
Other ingredients that will improve on your testosterone levels include:
- D-Aspartic Acid (DAA)
- Vitamin D
- Diindolylmethane (DIM)
But let’s be honest for a moment; finding some of these ingredients in wholesome foods is an arduous task. Thankfully, supplements for men will offer a convenient, and easy way to access all these ingredients.
- Burst Training
Working out regularly is one of the effective ways of steering away from a lifestyle disease, and interestingly, it’s also the perfect way to boost your testosterone.
A large scale review study found out that individuals who regular training often have higher levels of testosterone, and the situation is the complete opposite or those who do not exercise.
While training will help in boosting the hormone level, there are specific workouts that will deliver insane results.
Both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and resistance training such as weightlifting are known to boost the testosterone levels in both the short and long term.
For the obese individuals, it was also found out that training, in general, is more effective than weight loss diet.
- Reduce Stress
Chronic stress is the largest contributor to low testosterone levels.
When your body is under duress, it produces cortisol, which is an anti-testosterone, or rather is depresses the production of testosterone.
Beyond the cortisol factor, chronic stress dampens the testosterone levels through a process known as pregnenolone steal.
- Get Enough Sleep
How does it feel when you wake up to a long and fulfilling night sleep?
Rejuvenated? Psyched? Or feeling fresh? I rightly guessed so.
See, poor sleep is a lifestyle pattern that generally affects the composition and concentration of hormones in your body, including testosterone.
Making sleep a priority, always aiming to 7-8 hours of uninterrupted and quality sleep is a good way to revitalize your testosterone levels.
Conclusion
Boosting your hormone levels has never been challenging; you will simply need to follow the following tips, and you should optimize your testosterone in no time.