What....What?....That Cant Be Right....Testosterone.

In todays world, there is a war against Testosterone that we wage daily. To understand the premise of that statement, we first need to look at what testosterone is. Testosterone is a naturally occurring hormone, that also happens to be an androgen steroid. It is produced in both males and females in the respective sexual organs. Testosterone levels directly effect day to day life, and can have negative effects if too low.

So lets look at the effects of low test levels and what can cause it; although little is known about the long term effects of low test levels, it can drastically effect day to day life in men. Low test levels have been linked to, but have not been proven to cause obesity, diabetes, depression, and possibly cardiovascular disease(WebMD 2010). Men with low testosterone can experience fatigue, mood problems, low sex drive and E.D. None of those things are good. The decrease in test levels over time is known as andropause.  Don't feel left out ladies, its your turn. Low test in women causes flabbiness, hair loss, lack of sex drive, low energy, weakness, poor coordination, and dry skin.  

So what causes this decrease? Men over 40 show drops of 1-2% a year. And it happens to everyone. It is the most common cause of low test, and there are many other medical reasons. But I wont get into that, because I don't want people to start loosing their minds thinking "holy crap I've got that!" So I will point out common external factors that we can change. These apply to women also.

A big one that seems to be popular is eating less red meat. It can be argued that red meat causes GI issues, it is packed with protein and fats that the body needs. These proteins help raise test levels. Being in a long term relationship or getting married can tend to lower test levels, but on the flip side, married men have less health issues. (Strayer, ehow.com) One that people don't think of, is drinking too much. A couple of drinks a day isn't bad, but drinking in excess can block test development, as well a mess you up in other ways. Also, eating soy based foods not only lowers test levels, but it raises estrogen and can cause men to grow boobies. Not Cool.

So the reasons stated have some pretty obvious fixes, lets look at some things that can make your test levels go up. First things first loose the gut. Extra body fat boosts estrogen (Zmunda 2000). Get your diet right.  Everyone knows, six meals a day helps elevate metabolism and loose weight. But with your metabolism boosted, hormone production gets elevated and regulated. Sleep More! Sleep is needed to help your body recover from the rigors of your workout and stresses of daily life. Lack of sleep can drop test levels by up to 40%.  Have sex, and plenty of it; Sex raises endorphin production which aids in increasing testosterone. (ehow.com, 2011) Of course there are plenty of supplements available, but taking them is considered doping in most sports, and some are illegal. Believe it or not, posture plays a role as well. Having an expansive, dominate style posture alters hormone release, and can actually make you feel more in control (Bures, 2010). So stand up straight, roll your shoulders back and push your chest out! Weightlifting and strenuous exercise, as you know, increases muscle mass which in turn boosts test levels. So the harder you lift, the more you get. 

So, as you can see contrary to popular belief, testosterone doesn't just make you aggressive and angry; it make you jacked, aggressive, and gives you an awesome sex drive! So whats not to like about that? So go eat a steak, pick up something heavy and posture up like your the man and you know it!

Stallone has it right. The posture and everything. And he is old!

Soooo.....What do you think? Good? Not Good? Something to add or take away? Let me hear it!