For some men, there may come a point towards middle age where everything, sort of … starts to go wrong all at once. What do we mean? Symptoms could include rapid hair loss, weight gain (and muscle loss), lack of focus, mood swings, problems maintaining an erection, enlarged breasts, and reduced sex drive. Lower bone mass is another symptom that is less noticeable from the outside without the help of a medical team and some expensive hospital equipment, but is nevertheless a concern, as this can lead to weaker bones that break more readily. But what are all these symptoms of? The answer is low testosterone levels. If you’ve been affected and if you’ve looked into some solutions and found answers hard to come by (we found useful info here on the difference between HGH therapy and testosterone therapy).
Table of Contents
Exercise boosts testosterone
Interestingly, a recent study suggests that exercise and lifting weights is more useful than a cardio style weight loss regime in men looking to increase testosterone levels. Even in obese men, physical activity that focuses on strength and muscle mass was found to deliver testosterone-related results that trumped the results of trying to burn fat. The conclusion was that resistance training (such as lifting weights, for example) is the style of exercise that produces both short-term and long-term increased testosterone levels ahead of any other type of exercise. Caffeine was also found to have an effect, although this could be down to the increased endurance levels experienced by those who consume caffeine before working out, meaning a longer performance in the workout and therefore increased results.
Bin the yo-yo diet
As we get older, our metabolism slows down. This means that we find it harder to burn off what we eat, with fat around the waist in particular becoming an issue. Men who are conscientious about their appearance and their health may approach this issue by undertaking a series of fad diets. In essence, this means the body is starved to the point where binging and overeating is irresistible. This yo-yo dieting can disrupt testosterone levels and make it harder for your body to balance out the numbers once you return to your average diet. The top tip here is to follow a healthy eating regime (choose any you like) and stick to it, making sure you get the right amount of protein, carbs, and fats.