Welcome to this series of articles about ageing, and combating some of the negative effects of ageing. Ageing is something that hopefully happens to all of us. It is a time of glory, and a time of challenge.
Testosterone is the male sex hormone responsible for many masculine traits. This includes muscle mass, low body fat, a big jaw, thick brow, aggression, confidence, body hair and a deep voice.
Testosterone also makes us feel good. Top athletes produce lots of testosterone because it makes them stronger, more energetic and better at recovering. It also makes us happier (low testosterone is associated with depression), more virile, better in bed and generally more alpha.
A huge proportion of men in the Western world have chronically low testosterone. And this only gets worse, the older we get.
How can you slow down the effects of old age by keeping testosterone where it should be?
Why is Testosterone Low?
Low testosterone is not just a problem for elderly pensioners. It is just as much an issue for guys in their 40s and 50s and it’s a MUCH bigger problem now than it was even 30 years ago.
Why? Several reasons:
- We spend less time outdoors
- We spend more time on the computer
- Our water and many of our products contain estrogenic compounds
- We are often encouraged to pursue less classically ‘manly’ activities
- We are less active
- We are malnourished
Right away, this highlights some of the things we can do to get our T levels back to normal. Spend more time outside, exercise more (using compound movements), drink water from a filter and avoid shampoos filled with chemicals and make sure you eat well.
Some Powerful Tips
There are also a few powerful tips you can employ to give yourself an instant testosterone boost:
- Eating more saturated fats will make a big difference. They contain cholesterol and cholesterol is what the body uses to make testosterone. Eat this just before bed because you produce maximum testosterone at 4am in the morning.
- More sleep. Deeper sleep leads to more T, so make sure you do everything you can to prioritise good sleep.
- More vitamin D. Vitamin D is the reason that time outdoors is related to testosterone – it acts like a master controller for your hormones and we produce more when we get exposure to sunlight. If you can’t be outside more, take a supplement to get your fill!
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Nick Thorne is the founder of NicksDigitalSolutions Limited a company that specialises in Education, Training and Writing. He lives in Levin, New Zealand.