NATURAL AND EASY WAYS TO BOOST TESTOSTERONE IN MEN

It’s natural to start losing testosterone as you get older; it’s one of nature’s little jokes. Not so funny though when you lose your edge, feel depressed and irritable, and notice the beer belly developing rapidly. Not in the least funny when your sex life goes off the boil because you don’t measure up any more, but you can’t be bothered anyway.

Here are some natural and easy ways to boost testosterone – in no particular order, as they say. Try as many of them as you can, if not all. They won’t do you any harm at all and you should start to see the results of increased testosterone fairly quickly, if you keep at it.

Here’s 8 Natural and Easy Ways to Boost Testosterone in Men:

1. START WORKING OUT

This may take some effort if you haven’t done it in a while and you’ll need to build up slowly. Find a gym where you’ll get some good advice and help, and go at least five times a week or the benefit might be a longer time coming. If you have any medical conditions, check with your doctor first.

• But don’t go mad

Limit your workout to 45 minutes a session. This way you avoid the development of cortisols, which will attack your testosterone level. Make the most of your sessions by working the larger muscle groups through lifts. Try bench and shoulder presses, squats and deadlifts. Don’t over train or your testosterone levels will actually drop.

2. HAVE MORE SEX

Go on, make the effort. Really. It’s not only a great stress booster but the advice ‘use it or lose it’ can be reversed to an extent. This is one area where you CAN go mad. In the best possible way, of course. If you have a regular partner, surprise them with some unaccustomed romantic gestures and make the most of what happens next.

3. GET STRESS UNDER CONTROL

See above for the best solution since the dawn of time. There are other ways, so look around until you find something that appeals to you. Don’t scorn ‘girlie’ things like meditation and massages either – a full body massage can make you feel like you can take on the world, if it’s done properly.

4. SLEEP FOR AT LEAST SEVEN HOURS A NIGHT

This doesn’t so much boost your testosterone, but prevents a good part of it from vanishing overnight. A study at the University of Chicago in 2011 showed that men who had less than five hours of sleep a night over a period of a week, had ‘significantly lower’ levels of testosterone than when they had a full night’s sleep.

¹Leproult R, Van Cauter E. Effect of 1 Week of Sleep Restriction on Testosterone Levels in Young Healthy Men. JAMA. 2011;305(21):2173-2174. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.710.

5. LIMIT YOUR ALCOHOL

This is a no-brainer, especially when it comes to beer. It doesn’t mean giving up, just keep the amount down and don’t drink every day, or even every weekend. The term beer belly came from somewhere so it’s counter productive to your aim to lose belly fat. Think of the calories, too.

6. LOSE THAT EXCESS WEIGHT

There’s a downward spiral going on here. The more fat you accumulate, the more your testosterone falls, due to an enzyme in the fat that turns testosterone into oestrogen – the female hormone. It works both ways since falling testosterone also leads to an increase in body fat. It’s a lose-lose situation.

• Again, don’t go mad

If you cut down your calories drastically, you are at risk of your testosterone levels dropping which is the opposite of what you want. Apart from that, you’ll hate feeling hungry all the time and you’ll almost certainly cheat. Aim for about 20% below what you should be taking in, as a maximum reduction.

7. CHANGE YOUR DIET

As well as cutting calories to drop the weight, you need to make a few changes to your diet which will help the problem go away a lot quicker and support natural testosterone boosting.

• Make friends with broccoli

You’d be surprised what broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and their relatives can do. You don’t need to become a vegetarian overnight, or eat a ton of it, but they contain substances that convert to indoles when you eat them. Indoles are great for balancing oestrogen metabolism which will fight those man-boobs and beer belly.

• Eat the ‘good’ fats instead of the bad

Yes, there are some ‘good’ fats (that includes oils) and you need to make sure you’re taking them. Choose from fish oils, avocados, nuts, coconut oil, olive oil. This will boost cholesterol which sounds wrong, but it’s fine. It will help to boost your testosterone as well so don’t forget this one.

• Throw out the breakfast cereal

Eating cereal or toast for breakfast? That will zap your normally-high morning testosterone levels for a while, due to the high level of carbs. Try eggs with avocado and some kind of green veg. It might look weird on the plate, but this mix of high protein, some good fat and low carbs will give you a far more energetic start to the day.

Best Foods to Eat for Muscle and Strength

When you’re thinking about building muscle, it’s easy to assume you need to start carting around massive tubs of whey supplements (perhaps while wearing a mesh tank top).

Don’t get distracted by this protein powder propaganda. You can get plenty of muscle-building nutrients by adding the right foods to your diet. These 11 basics are foundational elements for every meal of the day, ideal for boosting energy and speeding muscle recovery before and after the gym. (What you wear there is still up to you.)

1 Greek yogurt

Packed with muscle-nourishing nutrients, Greek yogurt is the ideal workout partner. “It’s a good source of protein, calcium and vitamin D, which are good for muscles,” says Ilyse Schapiro, a registered dietitian with practices in New York and Connecticut. “Vitamin D is definitely important for your bones—you need strong and healthy bones to sustain muscles—and it impacts protein synthesis. People with low vitamin D levels have been shown to have decreased strength and greater muscle wasting.” Skip the varieties with added fruit; they have too much sugar. Go for the plain, full-fat variety (it’s higher in nutrients than skim). Use our guide to finding a healthy yogurt to make sure you're getting the best for your body.

2 Beans

The simple bean is actually an advanced fat-burning, muscle-building machine. “Beans are a great source of protein that includes fiber,” says Leah Kaufman, a New York City based registered dietitian. “That’s going to ensure your blood sugar doesn’t spike and will give you energy to build the muscle you want.” One cup of black beans has 12 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber; they’re also rich in folate, a B vitamin that stokes muscle growth, and copper, which strengthens tendons. On top of that, a Spanish study showed that consuming four weekly servings of beans or legumes accelerates weight loss.

3 Cottage cheese

Turns out that the diet staple of 1970s housewives deserves a place on a musclehead’s plate. “It’s very rich in protein, and it’s perfect for muscle building and maintenance because it also contains calcium and vitamin B12,” says Schapiro, who advises you pick up the low-fat variety. Doubting this long time diet staple? A cup of low fat CC has 163 calories and 28 grams of protein, as much as four eggs.

4 Chocolate milk

Add the kiddie concoction to your essential pre- and post-workout snacks. In a study published in The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, subjects given chocolate milk high before riding stationary bikes were able to pedal 49 percent longer than cyclists given another carb-replacement beverage. Chocolate milk’s naturally occurring electrolytes keep you hydrated, and its sweetness speeds energy into muscles, which makes it equally good after your workout. “Chocolate milk is good for muscle recovery because you get protein, vitamin D and calcium from the milk, and that little bit of sugar from the chocolate to help refuel,” notes Schapiro.

5 Bananas

Bananas are an ideal source of fuel. They’re rich in glucose, a highly digestible sugar, which provides quick energy, and their high potassium content helps prevent muscle cramping during your workout. Each medium banana contains about 36 grams of good carbs: Their low glycemic index means carbs are slowly released into your body, preventing sugar crashes and spurring the process of muscle recovery. If you think you need something more substantial, get good fuel ideas from our guide to the best pre-workout snack for every workout.

6 Beets

Yep, beets. A number of studies have shown that consuming beets can improve your athletic performance. Subjects who drank beet juice experienced a 38 percent increase in blood flow to muscles, particularly “fast twitch” muscles that affect bursts of speed and strength, a study conducted at Kansas State University showed. Another study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that runners who ate baked beets before a 5k ran five percent faster, a result attributed to the beets’ nitrates, a natural chemical that increases endurance and lowers blood pressure. Spinach and carrots are also high in the muscle-building compound.

7 Eggs

“My favorite source of protein is an egg,” says Kaufman, who notes that each contains seven grams of muscle-builder. “Depending on the workout and their goals, I usually tell my patients to have protein in increments of seven. If you’re doing a high-intensity workout, you should have 14 grams of protein. Two eggs are perfect.”

8 Almonds

Nature’s magic bullets have been shown to have special fat-burning properties if you consume them before a workout: A study printed in The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that the L-arginine in almonds can help you burn more fat and carbs in the gym. When it comes to muscle building, a quarter-cup of raw almonds has eight grams of protein and is high in magnesium, which boosts energy and endurance. “Almonds are great—you just need to watch the quantity,” says Kaufman. “I recommend eating 20 max. If you go over that, your body will be storing fat instead of building muscle.”

9 Chicken

The muscle-builder’s staple maintains its status for a reason. Aside from being high in protein — 54 grams per six-ounce serving — chicken breast is also rich in leucine, an amino acid that’s key to muscle building because it increases protein synthesis. In studies at the University of Illinois, researchers fed one group of people meals containing 10 grams of leucine per day, and another group a lower-leucine diet. In two studies, the groups that ate high-leucine diets lost more weight and body fat — and maintained more lean body mass. According to the USDA, a six-ounce chicken breast contains about 4.4 grams of leucine per serving and 52 grams of protein.

10 Grass -fed beef

Grass-fed beef has the holy trifecta of muscle building: It’s the #1 food source of creatine, which increases muscle mass by speeding protein to muscles; it’s rich in CLA, an anti-inflammatory fatty acid; and it provides more than one-half the RDA of protein in a four-ounce serving. “It’s great for you—rich in iron, magnesium and B12, which you need to have for muscle building,” says Kaufman, who notes that she tells her patients who have a history of high cholesterol not to eat more than two servings of red meat per week.

11 Wild salmon

Wild salmon’s high protein content — 39 grams per serving — is supplemented by its heart-healthy, inflammation-busting, longevity-promoting omega-3 fatty acids. Just be sure you go wild. Farmed salmon, plumped up with fishmeal and high in PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls, chemicals that cause endocrine disruption), must be thrown back in the refrigerator case. “There’s definitely a difference in taste between wild and farm-raised salmon,” says Kaufman. “While the wild will be more expensive, it’s worth the difference to ensure it’s not raised on a farm, where there can be a lot of chemicals,” she adds. Another reason why it’s a smart purchase: A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine showed that people with the highest blood levels of omega-3s lived two years longer, on average, than those with lower levels. More time to show off those guns.

NUTRITIONAL RULES FOR A FULL-BODY SHRED

Apply these strategies to your diet and watch your physique respond.

Shortcuts to packing on new muscle mass and getting ripped to the bone are frequently peddled on late-night TV, but sadly, these feats cannot be accomplished with quick fixes or next-day miracles. You can, however, implement certain dietary practices that, over time, will guarantee your investment in fitness. Yes, getting in your best shape ever requires hard work in the gym, but without the proper nutrition to fuel your gains, you’re dead in the water. Feeding your body the right way is just a matter of repetition—learning and developing the kinds of dietary habits that leave your body with no choice but to respond with cover model-worthy size, strength and detail. By applying the bulk of these 16 strategies to your diet, you’ll find that things really do fall into place automatically, even if they don’t happen overnight.

Adding new muscle to your frame is an admirable pursuit, but no matter how much weight you lift in the gym, you’ll never obtain that tight, shredded look you covet without chipping away at your bodyfat stores. Many people mistakenly think that losing fat is simply a matter of exercising more and eating less, yet a bodybuilder can’t afford to arbitrarily hack calories and run until it hurts. It’s about striking a balance. These tips will help you get lean without losing hard-earned muscle.

1) CYCLE CARBS

Limit your carbohydrate intake for 4-5 days, then boost carbs for the following two days. When you cut calories you lose fat, but when you cut calories and limit your carbs to 100 grams or less for 4-5 days, the body goes into a fat-burning mode that’s influenced both by fewer calories and a favorable hormonal shift. When you reverse the process and increase your carb intake to 250-300 grams for two days, you drive your metabolism even higher. Just remember to keep protein intake high to spare muscle tissue.

2) CLOCK YOUR CARBS

Too many carbs can make you fat, but too few for an extended period can slow your metabolism. That’s why timing is important: Consume a hefty sum of your daily carbohydrates at breakfast and after training. Eating at least 50 grams of fast-digesting carbs first thing in the morning and immediately postworkout hinders training-induced muscle breakdown and keeps cortisol, a stress hormone that destroys muscle and slows metabolism, in check.

3) USE BCAAS TO PRESERVE MUSCLE

To help prevent catabolism, take 5-10 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) with breakfast as well as before and after training. Ingested preworkout, BCAAs are used by the body as a substitute fuel source so it doesn’t tap into stored muscle protein to get through a session. Also, when you’re going low-carb, BCAAs can better trigger protein synthesis.

4) MAKE CARBS WORK FOR YOU

Since building muscle is the best way to burn more fat in the long run, you need to make your workouts intense enough to elicit the gains you want. Taking in 20 grams of fast-digesting whey protein and 20-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs (from sources such as fruit, sweet potatoes or brown rice) 30 minutes or less before your first rep helps you power through your workouts with the required intensity. Keep the weight loads up and your rest periods short to burn through your preworkout fuel.

5) INCREASE NEUROTRANSMITTERS

What’s a neurotransmitter? Think spark plug. These chemicals in the brain signal the body’s internal fat-burning machinery to shift into an active state. Caffeine, evodiamine and tea (green, oolong and black) boost these fat-fighting chemicals, especially when taken before training and in the absence of carbohydrates. Dosages vary, but each can be taken in a stack with other fat-burners 2-3 times a day, with at least one of those doses coming 30-60 minutes preworkout.

6) PRIORITIZE SLOW-BURNING CARBS

Slow-digesting carbs such as beans, whole-grain breads and pastas, oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes should constitute the bulk of your daily carbohydrate intake (the exceptions being first thing in the morning and immediately postworkout). Slow carbs reduce the effect of insulin, the hormone that initiates both hunger and fatstorage. Research confirms that athletes who consume slow-digesting carbs burn more fat throughout the day as well as during exercise.

Vitamins for Building Blood

                           By R. Y. Langham, Ph.D.

Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and organs and transports carbon dioxide from your organs and tissues back to your lungs. Your bone marrow constantly produces new red blood cells because they typically wear out and die after 120 days, according to Barbara Bain, author of "Beginner's Guide to Blood Cells." When your body does not receive an adequate supply of blood and oxygen, it can lead to anemia and fatigue. A variety of vitamins can replenish or rebuild red blood cells and increase blood circulation.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A improves immune-system function, aids in red blood cell production, helps absorb iron, supports cellular development, promotes a healthy bone marrow, produces hemoglobin and improves blood circulation, according to Michael Zimmermann, author of "Burgerstein's Handbook of Nutrition: Micronutrients in the Prevention and Therapy of Disease." The recommended daily dosage for vitamin A is 900mcg for men and 700mcg for women. Foods rich in vitamin A include whole milk, baked or canned sweet potatoes, broccoli, kale, collard greens, butternut squash, nonfat milk, butter, eggs, canned pumpkin, raw carrots, mangoes and fortified breakfast cereals.

Vitamin B-12

Vitamin B-12, also known as cobalamin, aids in red blood formation, supports healthy bone marrow, regulates cell division, increases blood flow to your heart and brain and lowers your risk of developing megaloblastic anemia, a type of anemia that occurs when abnormal red blood cells cannot store or transport oxygen to your tissues, according to Dr. Darwin Deen and Lisa Hark, M.S., authors of "Complete Guide to Nutrition in Primary Care." The recommended daily dosage for vitamin B-12 is 2.4mcg for adults. Foods rich in vitamin B-12 include steamed clams, steamed crabs, skim milk, Brie cheese, roasted chicken, beef, salmon and roasted turkey.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C strengthens your immune system and protects your red blood cells from harmful free radicals that can deplete your blood supply, according to Judith Brown, author of "Every Woman's Guide to Nutrition." Brown says that vitamin C also aids in cellular metabolism, accelerates the healing process, increases red blood cell production and improves blood circulation. The recommended daily dosage for vitamin C is 1,000mg for adults. Foods rich in vitamin C include strawberries, cranberries, pineapples, kiwi, kale, turnip greens, spinach, oranges, tomatoes and grapefruits.

Iron

Iron supports cellular growth, transports oxygen to your tissues and organs, improves bone marrow function, increases red blood cell production and lowers your risk of developing iron-deficiency anemia, a type of anemia that occurs when your blood lacks an adequate supply of healthy red blood cells, according to Steve Blake, author of "Vitamins and Minerals Demystified." The recommended daily dosage for iron is 45mg for adults. Foods rich iron include beef, oysters, shrimp, raisin bran cereal, kidney beans, cashew nuts, firm tofu, molasses, light tuna and dark meat chicken.

A variety of vitamins can increase the amount of blood your body produces. Photo Credit vitamin image by Olexandr Chub from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>