Testosterone Part 2

If you haven’t done so already, read Part 1 on Testosterone. >>https://www.freakathletiq.com/blogs/training/6-ways-to-increase-testosterone-levels-naturally

Testosterone Part 2

Testosterone levels decrease as we age and can take a toll on not only our physical body but mental too. But not to worry, we can keep our testosterone levels optimum by including each 6 ways into our daily routine.
1. Power positions
2. Resistance training
3. Quality of sleep
4. Cortisol hormone
5. Food choices
6. Body fat.

You can read more about each in the article mentioned above.

This particular article (Part 2) will go into depth of the importance of testosterone, and why we need to be paying closer attention to particular signs of low testosterone and what to do to overcome this issue.

In adults common symptoms of low testosterone include:
- low energy levels
- mood swings
- irritability
- poor concentration
- reduced muscle strength
- changes in body fat distribution
- low sex drive

But that’s not to say that low levels of the hormone are the only possible cause of these symptoms. Regardless of the cause of these symptoms, they will still have correlation with this hormone. By this I mean, as an example, it might not necessarily be low testosterone causing increased body fat, it might be the increased body fat causing lower testosterone. This is why it is so important to stay healthy.

Let’s take a look at an example, with the recent shut down of gyms due to Covid19, some individuals may have experienced weight gain due to not having access to equipment and lacking motivation to keep fit at home.  Although the hormone itself was not the cause of the weight gain, Testosterone is still affected. When you gain weight, common side effects may include less movement, loss of muscle mass, accumulation of fat, lethargy, stress, and the list goes on. This negatively affects Testosterone, and this is why it is extremely important to stay lean, and healthy.

On the other hand, there might be someone who sticks to the same daily routine: they wake up and go to sleep at the same time, eat the same foods, train and work five days a week. They have regular sex and have had no problems with energy, but they may experience extreme lethargy that comes out of the blue and continues for weeks. This person may conclude this rare occasion with “I must be catching the cold”. Though it could actually be due to aging and the decreased production of testosterone to be cause. (I will discuss this example further in the following paragraphs).

The biggest determining factor of a drop in testosterone production is age. In general, aging individuals are prone to physical change such as loss of muscle mass and a gain in fat mass.

As we age and as our bodies undergo change it is important to prevent unhealthy habits to occur and instead encourage healthy habits. There are 6 ways to increase testosterone naturally and I have mentioned them in the previous article above. It’s a good idea to revise over them, because by introducing them into your lifestyle, it can improve your body and testosterone levels, slowing the decline. Even just by tweaking one of them that may already be a part of your daily routine. You would be surprised by what an extra 15min of sleep can do, or including a breakfast meal into your diet, increasing your cardiac activity, and so on. Making these healthy changes can most definitely improve your health in a positive way.

Let’s now take a look back at example 2, where you might be a healthy person with a healthy routine but out of the blue start feeling incredibly lethargic and so on. If you can relate to that example, it’s a good idea to seek medical advice. Especially if you are experiencing some of the symptoms mentioned and already implements the natural ways of boosting testosterone into your routine.

Your doctor can check your hormone levels and may advise you to take medication to assist with increasing the production of certain hormones if needed.
When would this option be most effective?
- If you are experiencing symptoms like I mentioned above.
- Consider yourself healthy but experienced the symptoms out of the blue.
- Additional symptoms like struggling to get your partner pregnant or reduced erectile function.

Your doctor may suggest a testosterone test. The test is to determine your levels of circulating testosterone. There are two ways testosterone travels through your blood:
1.  Attached to the proteins albumin and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).
2.  Free -- not attached to any proteins.
And this is what the test looks at.

Low testosterone is diagnosed when levels fall below 300 nanograms per decilitre (ng/dL). A normal range is typically 300 to 1,000 ng/dL, according to medical professionals. If this is the case, your doctor may want to look at your hypothalamus or pituitary gland, which controls how much testosterone your body makes.

On the other spectrum, high testosterone levels from anabolic steroid use can also have troubling symptoms. It is an actual issue that you need to be mindful of also. Men with high testosterone due to injecting exogenous hormones can experience a variety of troubling symptoms and possible health consequences. Excess testosterone can lead to more aggressive and irritable behaviour, more acne and oily skin, even worse sleep apnea. With too much testosterone pumping through your system from steroid abuse, you may have a lower sperm count (due to decreased sperm production) and shrunken testicles. So it is important to not undergo hormone replacement therapy unless you really need it.

In conclusion, your health always comes first! Don’t let troubling symptoms be the reason for negative changes to occur. Always be mindful of the symptoms and keep track of your health. Eat healthy foods, train regularly, rest and recover as much as you need, receive regular health checks, and have sex more often. All this will help slow down the negative sides of aging.