Boosting Testosterone Naturally

So, let's start this blog off with its first informative post. Let's go with testosterone. Also, note that my writing style is conversational and not uptight. Also, if you want links to research regarding what I say(unless it has a basis in my own training experience) then simply ask for them.

Testosterone is the male sex hormone. It is androgenic(controls and develops masculine characteristics), increase spermatogenesis(creation of sperm), promotes the development of said sperm, plays a huge part in sex drive(libido) and other such aspects of life, increases protein synthesis, increases muscle growth, deeper voice... The list goes on and on. It is produced in the testes by males and the ovaries(in minute amounts) by women. For more info there are a variety of resources that you can turn to, however the point of this post is not a comprehensive look at testosterone, but rather means of boosting it and controlling any deleterious effects of it.


Boosting Testosterone Naturally


1.) Cold Showers

Cold showers(I prefer ice baths because then I am totally immersed) help to burn fat by forcing the body to rev up its metabolism. The result of this loss in fat is an increase in testosterone, I also prefer the method of taking a cold shower/ice bath daily because after a while it is easy and doesn't seem too "hardcore". The way to safely do this is to gradually lower the heat of your shower/bath, that way you do not shock your body into a shutdown. Also, after getting out of the shower, try to air dry for a minute afterwards and don't stay near sources of heat, no need to confuse(shock) your body. Contrast showers are another thing entirely.

Further reading:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080805075620.htm




2.) Fasting 

Yes, that thing monks, hipsters, and health nuts do actually helps you boost testosterone. This of course is different from intermittent fasting, which will be discussed later on. Fasting is abstaining from food for the amount of time that one is fasting, commonly referred to as water fasting. No fruit juices or anything else of the sort is used, that is referred to as juice fasting. Abstaining from both food and drink(water included) is absolute fasting(not recommended, ever).

 Fasting helps the body clear itself of toxins, pathogens, heavy metals, and just about anything else you can name. It also helps clear toxic fat(fat is the ideal storage for toxins). There's also talk of bodily restructuring(cellular efficiency/organization), bone remineralization(cellular intelligence), decreases in inflammation(toxins), cancer cures(toxins), and other such things, but I will not prattle on nor discuss such things.

The only problem one encounters with fasting(the 1-7 day variety, not the 1-3 month or absolute varieties) is the hunger and weakness of the first two days. The first two days the body is switching over energy systems, moving from a primarily carbohydrate based energy system to a primarily fat based system. As a result the breath may smell of acetone, a byproduct of fat metabolism for energy. Hunger occurs at first due to the mind's desire, then due to the stomach shrinking, and finally(couple months), due to the body needing food(prime restructuring), this is referred to as "true hunger". Weakness occurs because the body is not too efficient at switching energy systems on the fly, plus your liver stores enough sugars for a day or two, however it does not immediately burn it all up, rather, it compliments the fat metabolism. The weakness disappears as the efficiency of fat metabolism for energy increases.

Of note is the fact that emotions will be more intense during the time that you fast, as will everything else. The reason being that the brain is no longer occupied with the task of processing the food you eat and as such has more sensitivity to stimuli(One of the reasons people are "emotional eaters", it dulls everything). This can lead to a series of interesting things, such as an increased ability to study, focus, meditate(religious folk do it for a reason), and many other attention based tasks.

Also of note is that the rate of elimination of toxins is key to staying with a fast, the first couple of times may be hit and miss and lead to a "I have to complete this" attitude. This is due to the fact that many times people do not wean themselves off of food, but rather eat a whole bunch to keep themselves going. It's illogical. One should slowly wean themselves off of food, for a day or two prior to fasting, and decrease the amount of meat eaten(taxing on the digestive system) and increase the amount of vegetables eaten. One should also follow suit in going back to eating food. One also needs to watch their water intake and their activity.

Excessive activity will lead to an increase in elimination of toxins in addition to more metabolic byproducts in addition to a possibility of blacking out due to a lower level of energy stores as well as a lower blood pressure. Exercise should be kept to a minimum or eliminated for the same reason as well as to spare your muscles. As far as water intake goes, room temperature, purified water is ideal. Water intake correlates with metabolism and elimination rates, too much and both will be too high and you will experience a "healing crisis". A healing crisis is essentially the body(organs) being inable to eliminate toxins fast enough. Herxheimer Reaction is the medical term. 

In short:

• No food
• Avoid stimuli
• There will be weakness/hunger
• Watch your water and activity(less is better)

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketone_bodies
For further elaboration or questions fire away.


3.) Short High Intensity Training(SHIT)

Short high intensity activities such as sprinting, grappling, MMA, sparring, one arm pullups, one legged squats, etc. boost testosterone as well as HGH(human growth hormone). A simple way to accomplish a switch to a short high intensity workout program is to keep the same volume of your current program and aim to cut it in half or to a fourth.

Further reading: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14515011
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12797841


4.) Eating Healthy 

It may seem obvious, but I can't leave this one out. Eat healthy, aim for more organic, farm raised meats, more organic produce, and more raw/fermented foods/drinks. Its really that simple. You are what you eat, and eating a farm raised steak can't compare to eating a toxin filled cheeseburger. Just remember to be smart, buy in bulk, buy low, frequent farmer's markets, and look online.


5) Switch to the "Warrior Diet"(Intermittent Fasting)

The Warrior Diet is essentially intermittent fasting with a time component thrown in, fast throughout the day, eating alkalizing fruits and vegetables as needed throughout the day and binge eat(healthy) for an hour or two at night prior to sleeping. I've had much success on this diet, however I tweaked it significantly for my tastes and my lifestyle, perhaps even only keeping the core components. I learned about this diet after I began following it. It was more or less one of those find the ideal way to do something and then wonder whether or not anyone else had done it. Further elaboration will be given if requested. However I will admit Hoefmekler introduced me to probiotics, amla, and the history of fasting.

What I like the most about this diet is the fact that it is sustainable and fits my needs, I don't need to waste time eating until I sleep. Make sure to drink lots of water the first couple of days as cortisol production is increased. :P

Further reading: http://www.warriordiet.com/


6) Zinc

Zinc is a requirement for testosterone production and helps prevent exercise induced testosterone decreases. Stick to less than 40 mcg(upper tolerable limit) and watch for side effects at any dosage. Copper and zinc are inversely correlated, if taking zinc mind your copper. ZMA is a zinc/magnesium combo that is perfect for supplementation(ideally before bed, I will deal with timing supplement intake on another post once requested). I shoot for 10-15 mcg per day, I get zinc from food sources as well. Also depleted by 8.


7) Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone and essential in many biological processes, including the development of the nucleus of the sperm, maintaining semen quality, maintaining sperm count, boosting mood, boosting sleep quality, boosting the immune system... The list goes on and on(Can you see the correlation between sleep, fertility, stress, and testosterone yet?) To elevate levels about 40 ng/ml take 8,000 IUs per day. I shoot for 10,000(5,000X2).

Further reading: http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2009/10/a-closer-look-at-vitamin-d/


8) Masturbation & Sex

Curb your amount of sex and eliminate your masturbation. Seriously. Do it. Think about it, each ejaculation contains everything needed for a human life, not to mention vitamins, minerals, proteins, and the like. I'm not gonna go any further into this, but rather ask you to research further. Everything from Taoist sexual practices to Iron Crotch to retrograde ejaculation.. Its all out there. Separate the fact from fiction the lies from the truth. Wonder why some men get so tired after ejaculation? Why some men ejaculate "to get a better night's sleep"?

Also, of note are the many sexual "tonics", adaptogens, and aphrodisiacs, more specifically the research that correlates an increase in testosterone in response to chronic administration.

Happy hunting: http://www.ecologyofthespirit.com/_infoexchange/articles/The%20New%20Science%20of%20Seminal%20Conservation.htm

http://drlwilson.com/ARTICLES/MASTURBATION.htm


9) Train the Large Muscles

Legs. Back. These two parts of the body receive some of the most attention from bodybuilders of all shapes and sizes, and for good reason. Loading the back and legs with tension as a result of exercise causes growth. It also increases growth hormone and testosterone. Train your legs and back first to get a "boost", then struggle through everything else after a brief rest. I used to knock off 250 hindu squats, 3 minutes of neck bridging, 125 hindu pushups, and 125 Goku squats(side squats to the ground, each leg) every morning before school.

Further reading: http://anthonycolpo.com/growth-hormone-testosterone-training-revisited/


10) Green Tea

Why you aren't drinking this right now as you are reading this is beyond me, unless you are, in which case I tip my hat to thee. It helps with so many aspects of health and fitness that one should definitely be drinking some if either of those aspects of life seem to be fulfilling in any way. Weight loss, Alzheimer's/Parkinson's prevention, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-depressing, tooth decay prevention, cholesterol, heart disease... Again, the list goes on and on.
But that's what a glance will give you, a deep look into Green Tea reveals even more, namely its effects on estrogen. Think of estrogen as the exact opposite of testosterone, bad, bad, bad. It has its merits however, in women, and in minute amounts in men. However, nowadays there are so many estrogenic toxins in our food that we become laden with them and develop pudgy bodies unfit to survive. Green Tea helps to decrease estrogen in both men and women by blocking estrogen receptors via EGCG, a component. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't just take EGCG, in many herbs every component acts synergistically, with few exceptions. An extract is not always the best solution.

Further Reading: http://aacrmeetingabstracts.org/cgi/content/abstract/2006/1/531-d


11) Stress

Stress is a natural part of life they say, it is. However how one deals with it is key. If you immediately lose it when some minor aspect of your shiny life isn't in order then this is for you. Stress increases the amount of cortisol the body produces, initiating the fight or flight response. Nowadays there's no reason to fight your boss, your wife, or your cat, unless they challenge you, in which case make sure its to the death. Going back to cortisol, cortisol blocks the effects of testosterone, meaning you can have enough testosterone for ten people(bad, with many deleterious effects), but will get nothing out of it if you are chronically stressed.
Handling stress is beyond the scope of this article, hell, its beyond the scope of most books. The best advice I can give you is to look at what you're stressing about, distance yourself from it mentally, and then decide whether or not your stressing is helping the situation. Be positive. Sample some adaptogens(stress lowering herbs). Meditate. DRINK LOTS OF WATER.

That last one is in reference to cortisol's anti-diuretic(anti make you pee) effect and how it is eliminated via urination.

Further reading: http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/83/2/682.full


12) Improve Your Posture

Improving your posture, while sitting, standing, laying down, and in motion, can improve testosterone levels by promoting blood flow, easing excess muscular tension, decreasing stress, and allowing you to be more efficient.

Posture is beyond the scope of this article and as such, research what you can, glean what you will, and practice until you're perfect.

Further reading: http://www.coreperformance.com/daily/one-small-change/the-perfect-posture-experiment.html
http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/posture.shtml 
http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/825949/5-exercises-to-a-perfect-posture 
http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/shoulder-exercise-2


13) Deep Breathing 

Most people use what is called chest breathing, breathing up and inflating their chest. Not only does this put more strain on the heart, it also gives you less oxygen per breath and increases stress. Try diaphragmatic breathing, a form of breathing that singers use. It's really simple to do, and once the body is trained to do it, it will continue to do it. I will link you to a website that's more comprehensive than what I will tell you, however all you really need to do is lay down flat on the floor and place two small objects with some weight to them on your lower abs and chest. Now breath normally. Notice how little the object on your stomach rises. Now repeat, this time trying to use your abs whilst breathing so as to raise the object on your stomach. Keep trying and you will eventually get it.

Now repeat the exercise again, this time trying to minimize and eventually completely eliminate the amount of rise you give to the object placed on your chest. With time you will get it. The benefits of increased oxygenation of all cells of the body is endless and include a testosterone boost as well! :D

After learning it is simple to use your abs to breath, and for those looking for more boosts in oxygenation, try looking into breathing from the hara.

Further reading: http://www.normalbreathing.com/learn-8-diaphragmatic-breathing.php


14) Meditation

The oldest form of stress relief(well, sex probably beats it unless you follow the Adam & Eve story or naturally see that children don't view sex as stress relief), meditation can help to relieve stress, boost the immune system, increase bone density, increase nutrient assimilation... I'll stop there, these things are getting tiresome. Anywho, the principle meditation works on is the same as the fasting principle, if there are fewer random thoughts floating around in your head then more of your mental energies can be focused on internal processes such as healing, regeneration, and detoxification.

Beginner: Close your eyes in a quiet environment, breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, paying attention to the breathing.

Intermediate: Close your eyes in a quiet, dark environment and sit with your legs crossed, left or right leg on the other(half lotus). Breath in through the nose and out through the nose, utilizing abdominal breathing. Pay close attention to your body, the feeling of your lungs filling up with air, the opening of the nostrils, the extension of the abs, and so on and so forth.

Getting there: Close your eyes in a silent, pitch black environment and sit with both your legs crossed, one on top of each other(full lotus). Breath in through the nose and out through the nose, utilizing abdominal breathing. Begin to slow to consciously slow your breathing down. After a while you will feel the beating of your heart, the flow of blood, and many other such things. Begin to slow your breathing down to the count of your heart beats, I always shoot for one breath every 10 heart beats. Considering the fact that I can lower my heart beat to 20-40 bpm(beats per minute), that's a lot of time to be without oxygen. The trick is to maximize the amount of time the inhaled oxygen is present and exhale slowly, with no tension(breathing should always be without tension). This allows the maximal uptake of oxygen by the body.

There: Eh.

Further reading: http://artofmanliness.com/2011/09/07/a-primer-on-meditation/
http://www.bindependent.com/hompg/bi/bindep/store/aisles/naturaltherapies/meditation/whymeditate.htm


15) Sleep

Yes, that thing you do where you don't do anything is quite important. Testosterone is produced when you sleep, thus making a good night's sleep critical to testosterone levels. Testosterone levels increase as you sleep and peak when you wake up. As far as anything else goes, that's all you need to know. Do your homework.

Now to improve sleep quality. No drugs. No hormones(melatonin is a no-no). Natural ways to improve sleep quality include deep breathing before slumber, meditation, stress control, herbs(kava-kava, huperzine A, valerian, lemon balm, hops, skullcap, ashwagandha, dong quai...), turning off all lights 40 minutes prior to sleep, masturbating 20 times a day(if you just pick and choose these tips then its your fault), and stretching. I can elaborate further, but sleep is not the focus of this article.

Further reading: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2453053/
http://www.agemanagementoptimalwellness.com/our-blog/entry/the-importance-of-sleep-for-optimal-testosterone-production.html
http://www.musculardevelopment.com/articles/training/2883-are-you-sleeping-enough-for-optimal-testosterone-production.html


So there you have it, some natural methods of boosting testosterone, the easily accomplished ones at least. This is the first article I've written on here, so feel free to share with friends, neighbors, enemies, anyone you want to see become a better person(and a greater challenge). :D

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