Some men have lower levels of testosterone as they age creating a decline in a feeling of general well-being or a decrease in sexual satisfaction – this is called Andropause. Not all men have low enough testosterone to warrant hormone replacement (HRT) or they have other issues where HRT is not a good idea. Here are some ideas to increase testosterone naturally, some of them may surprise you!
Curious About How Testosterone Works?
Here’s my previous article that explains testing and how we rule out other causes of low testosterone besides age? https://boisenaturalhealth.com/understanding-the-role-of-testosterone-in-men-options-for-testing-and-treatment/
Boost Your Testosterone with Diet and Lifestyle
One can stimulate the body to influence the testosterone making pathway. Try one or all of these stimuli, they are especially effective if the testosterone is borderline or low:
- Get started on a weight-lifting routine and work up to lifting heavy weights 3 times per week. The more muscle you have, the higher the testosterone levels.
- Eat healthy fats, especially the omega 3’s like cold water fish or olive oil. Good fats seem to also increase luteinizing hormone, which stimulates cells in the testes to produce testosterone.
- Add honey to your diet. Aside from being sweet and tasty, it also enhances serum testosterone levels in males via a variety of avenues. We do need more clinical trials in this area, however, it won’t hurt to add some honey to your tea or coffee daily.
- Decrease stress. Stress decreases cortisol which pushes the pathway away from creating testosterone. If you decrease stress the pathway will go back to making testosterone. Consider meditation – it’s a great way to provide lasting benefits not only with lowered stress but better metabolic function overall. Watch funny videos – laughing a lot helps!
- Target body fat below 25% – but not too fast, no more than 2 pounds per week. Obesity lowers testosterone. A one point increase in BMI was found to be associated with a 2% decrease in testosterone.
- Try to have sex (on your own or with a partner) daily in the morning. Sex helps increase androgen receptor sensitivity so one is responding properly to the testosterone they have.
- Consider competitive sports, and surprisingly, competitive video gaming works just as well and rooting for the winning team.
Need more help sorting out your symptoms and hormones?
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Maxwell for further help supporting healthy aging and hormone balance at 208-338-0405.