Now more than ever before, we have millions of men suffering from low testosterone, aka “Low T”, and unfortunately suffering from the undesirable symptoms that accompany the condition. We have seen a large spike with the number of cases of men with Low T in the last couple of decades which is largely due to the endocrine disrupters men are exposing themselves to on a regular basis along with the ones we are consuming.
If you’re a man under the age of 30, I want to give ten essential steps to support and increase your testosterone levels naturally here. These are rather simple things men can do, but most are not even aware of how important they are to our health, endocrine system and testosterone. I am here to simplify these ten things we can start doing today to improve our well-being and manly hood!
- Note: If you’re well over the age of 30 with low T, odds are against you as to how much you can “boost” and support your natural T levels with any of these approaches and you may want to consider testosterone replacement therapy.
Step #1: Stop Consuming So Many Crappy Carbohydrates!
The first thing we need to do is change our diets! Everywhere around us we have boxed foods loaded with carbs and sugar in addition to beverages with high fructose corn syrup. Unlike the days of the past when we ate real food including vegetables, grains, real meats and berries, etc. loaded with nutritional value, today we eat too many “Franken-Foods” that are heavy in calories and void of nutrients and they are contributing to the downfall of men’s endocrine systems.
While the vital ingredients fat and cholesterol, which are needed to make testosterone are frowned upon, sugar and man-made factory foods are promoted to us like they are gold and good for us. We need to un-train our thinking when it comes to how to eat and what we have been taught by government, the food industry and media through the years. Just take a look at our rates of obesity, disease and mortality rates that stem from what we eat. Think about that for a second and then let’s move on…
Step #2: Minimize Your Exposure to External Endocrine Disruptors
Parabens in lotions, BPA’s in cans and plastic bottles, Mercury in foods or fillings in your mouth and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) used in non-stick cookware and on bags of microwave popcorn are just a small handful of common endocrine disrupters we expose ourselves to on a regular basis. But, with a little education we can minimize our exposure to these endocrine disrupters.
When possible, and it is, minimize your exposure to these toxins best you can. Getting natural deodorant and avoiding aluminum based deodorants, using coconut oil on your skin instead of paraben loaded lotions along with buying organic produce instead of produce that is sprayed down with pesticides are great starting points.
I must also mention that quitting the cigarette smoking will also help tremendously not only with your overall health and lungs, but also your endocrine system. These are all choices we have every day. We can choose the good or, we can choose the bad.
Step #3: Pick Up the Weights and Workout
One easy and natural way to get a significant increase in testosterone is by lifting heavy weights. As little as two intense, heavy workouts with weights a week has been shown to have a big, positive impact on our testosterone levels. We aren’t just talking about doing some arm curls here, we are talking about big compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull-ups and overhead presses.
If you like to run, skip the slower rhythmic jogging and go for all out sprints exerting as much force and energy as you can. Short, intense and powerful to yield more growth hormone release.
Step #4: Eat Fat and Cruciferous Vegetables
Loaded with antioxidants, phytonutrients, fiber and compounds that SUPPORT a healthy endocrine system while at the same time being very low in calories, cruciferous vegetables are a must to emphasize in our daily food intake. Keeping estrogen levels in optimal zones while not allowing them to get out of control is key to allowing our bodies to thrive in the testosterone department. Many cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and others help do this very well!
Eat fat! We have been taught that fat consumption makes us fat and contributes to high cholesterol which causes heart disease. Since the low fat, fat free phases we have went through with the food guide pyramid’s suggestions, we have continued to get more obese with cancer and heart disease still being at the top of mortality lists.
With regards to testosterone, our body needs cholesterol to make it! Consuming tons of carbs and sugar along with taking cholesterol lowering medications and exposing ourselves to external toxins that disrupt our endocrine systems, it is no wonder why millions of men are suffering from low testosterone and feeling like crap.
Emphasizing plenty of healthy fat intake such as coconut and MCT’s, almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts are great to support the body’s endocrine system and our testosterone production. Avoid soybean oil and trans-fats (hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” in vegetable oils), these are testosterone killers.
Step #5: Have More Sex!
Just simply anticipating getting your romp on in the bed with your partner is enough to create a significant rise in testosterone production aside from getting in on officially!
This has been shown with animals in the wild time and time again and also holds true in male humans. Having sex on a regular basis will have you producing more testosterone which in turn, has you wanting more sex due to correlation of higher testosterone, sexual drive and masculinity.
Step #6: Lose the Excess Body Fat
Contrary to what you may be thinking when reading this headliner, this is actually quite simple when you incorporate and follow these steps given here. When we have excessive amounts of body fat, it is a storehouse for aromatase enzymes responsible for “stealing” our testosterone away from us by converting it into more estrogen.
The less testosterone and more estrogen we have, the more we tend to keep piling on the fat. It is a tough cycle to break once it is out of control. But, we can stop contributing to this cycle by implementing the steps given here.
Step #7: Don’t Bing Drink Alcohol
Nothing wrong with having a drink here and there, we are talking about getting hammered on a regular basis here. If you are a regular Saturday night warrior boozing it up heavily then you can expect it to have a negative impact on your testosterone levels.
Step #8: Get Enough Sleep
When Mr. Sandman comes calling, you may not want to ignore him but rather be organized enough to allow your schedule to have a sufficient amount of sleep in it. With deep REM sleep, this is where our bodies rejuvenate and recover while promoting and releasing hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone.
Getting an adequate amount of sleep will not only help keep your testosterone levels up, but will also contribute to keeping you alert, sharp and productive during your day. Don’t skimp on the ZZZ’s!
Step #9: De-Stress!
I think in today’s fast paced and technology based world, we are expected to do more than ever within our short days than ever before. This can have us easily taking on more than we should and leaving us with more stress than ever. When this happens, our adrenal glands release cortisol which in turn contributes to our testosterone levels going south. Exercise and adequate amounts of sleep help in this department.
It is also critical that if you do have a hectic schedule that carries a lot of demands, you need to be organized with a good structure to allow your testosterone, health and wellness to be prioritized versus being sabotaged by stress.
Step #10: Take Essential Nutrients for Hormonal Balance and Testosterone
This is NOT where I’m going to promote some hyped up testosterone booster and sell you. What I am going to suggest is some basic nutrients that are often deficient in our diets but yet needed for our endocrine systems to function at their best.
Although there are a lot of herbal extracts and some amino acids that have been shown to support testosterone in different ways, these are a few of the foundational nutrients and things to look at first…
- Vitamin D3: Take a minimum of 2,000 i.u. per day. This is a minimum! For those in colder, northern places in the winter, this number can easily be tripled. There is literally an epidemic with deficiencies in more people than ever. This vitamin is critical for healthy testosterone levels.
- Vitamin C: This is well known for supporting our immune system, but it is also critical for supporting our adrenal glands and therefor helping to keep cortisol levels and stress in check. Shoot for 2 grams per day in split doses since it is water soluble.
- Zinc: Being zinc deficiency can wreak havoc on your testosterone balance in the body. It assists with controlling estrogen and more.
- Magnesium: This mineral is another nutrient that is very deficient in our modern diets. This helps to relax muscles and nerves, lending to help calm us and alleviate stress. Look to get a “ZMA” supplement to take at night before bedtime. This is zinc and magnesium together in an aspartate form.
There are many more nutrients that have a positive impact as well and are necessary for healthy testosterone levels, but these are the more relevant ones to prioritize and ensure you are getting in your diet each day.
Masculine Wellness YOU Deserve!
So, there you have it. These are the foundational areas to emphasize if you want to maximize your endocrine system and testosterone fellas. Before you go looking at getting some underground “gear” that most likely will have negative consequences and potentially damage your endocrine system permanently, or looking at an HRT program to fix your Low T symptoms, address the foundational things here first. This especially goes true if you are under the age of 30.
For those of us older guys who can’t avoid the aging of our glands and father time itself, it is however sometimes necessary and smart to consider at one point a doctor supervised Hormone Replacement Therapy program to preserve what we have.
We are given one to live in so let’s make the best we can and live life to the fullest while we can.
Best in Vitality,
Roger Bowman, CPT
Roger Bowman 
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