Every man knows how critical testosterone is to his reproductive and sexual health. This hormone is produced by the testicles and it plays an important role in athletic performance, mental acuity and muscle growth. Good levels of testosterone in the body will keep bones strong and healthy, prevent you from getting sick, and improve mood.
After the age of 40, men start to experience a natural decline in testosterone. There are numerous strategies that you can try to boost testosterone naturally. These strategies are appropriate for virtually anyone because there are no side effects.
Proper diet- Zinc and B Vitamin foods
Testosterone heavily depends on sufficient amounts of Zinc and B Vitamins. B vitamins include Vitamin B12, B6, B1, folic acid and niacin. Foods rich in vitamin B include fish, meat, avocado, eggs, whole grains, peas, beans and leafy green veggies.
Bodybuilders who want to increase testosterone levels should also include zinc rich foods in their diet. Zinc is known to actively help in the production of testosterone and sperm. Provided your diet is deficient in zinc, you will experience a decrease in testosterone production. Raw oysters are known to be one of the best dietary sources of zinc, providing about 77mg per serving. Other zinc rich foods are shellfish, pawns, organic beef, turkey, beans, peas, beef liver, nuts, milk, dried watermelon seeds and roasted pumpkin among others.
Exercise and maintain a healthy weight
Exercise and maintaining a healthy weight helps increase testosterone levels. They are vital for your overall health. Regular exercise like weightlifting helps you control body weight, and the lack of it contributes to andropause and overweight, which negatively impacts hormone levels in the body. Fat cells lead to generation of estrogen, bringing about an imbalance of testosterone and estrogen.
Weight training stimulates your muscles and leads to an elevation of testosterone afterwards. You may notice an increase in energy and libido after a workout. If you follow a strict weight training program, you will maintain healthy testosterone levels in your body. Engage in physical activities such as weight training and endurance running to eliminate excess body fat.
Other factors
Get more sleep
It is easier said than done, but it is important that you strive to sleep 7-8 hours per night. Research shows that men who get less than 5 hours of sleep a night experiences a 10-15% drop in testosterone levels.
Manage your stress
When you are under stress, your body tends to release high levels of the hormone cortisol. This hormone blocks the effect of testosterone presumably, hence ongoing stress keeps cortisol levels high thereby suppressing testosterone. Manage your stress with meditation and yoga to reduce cortisol levels.
Optimize Vitamin D levels
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone which is essential for healthy development of sperm nucleus as well as maintaining sperm count and semen quality. It also helps boosts testosterone levels, which in turn boosts libido. To get your Vitamin D levels up to a healthy level, sun exposure is a great way to go about it.
Eliminate or limit your sugar intake
Testosterone levels are negatively affected by too much sugar so ensure that your sugar intake is minimal.
Final Thoughts
It might be helpful to rely on a natural testosterone supplement to boost testosterone levels naturally. Supplements such as TestoFuel, which contain zinc, helps the body naturally produce more testosterone. They help in strengthening muscles as well as reducing body fat and revitalizing sex drive. Zinc is such a powerful aromatase inhibitor that greatly reduces conversion of testosterone to estrogen in your body.
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