Reason #2: Falling Testosterone Levels Reduce Your Manliness
Testosterone levels naturally decline as men age.As a health-conscious man, you’re well aware of the importance of testosterone. It’s one of the main things that make you – well – that make you manly. And testosterone, in truth, does play several crucial roles in your overall health. It boosts energy levels and mood, helps you build muscle mass, raises your libido, and keeps your metabolism humming along. That short list probably covers just about everything you love about being a man.
But testosterone levels naturally decline as men age. With less of this crucial hormone in our bodies, it becomes increasingly difficult to put on muscle mass during workouts, which is one of the most effective ways to boost basal metabolic rates.
These days, testosterone replacement therapy is becoming a much more common course of action for aging men who find themselves lacking in vigor, sex drive, or energy level. Men who are interested in testosterone replacement therapy should discuss it with their physicians, as those who find they actually are suffering from low testosterone often see excellent results.
But what if you’re not interested in taking supplements to boost your testosterone levels? Are there ways to boost your body’s natural testosterone production?
In short: yes. Experts say you can give your body’s natural testosterone production a lift by making sure you get plenty of sleep, cutting heavily processed foods from your diet, and finding ways to eliminate excess stress. Some experts suggest that lifting heavy weights is an additional way to boost testosterone. This could mean adopting a different kind of lifestyle, or simply including a moment of peaceful meditation or an hour of yoga in your already busy day.
When you’re stressed out, your body uses hormones it might otherwise turn into testosterone to make the stress hormone cortisol instead. This is a double whammy. In addition to sapping some of the raw materials that might otherwise be used to produce testosterone, cortisol itself causes the body to retain weight around the abdomen.
Reason #3: Lower Activity Levels: When You Know You’re Not as Vigorous as You Used to Be
You might tell your friends you’re still working out as hard as you did when you were a senior in high school, but are you really? As we get older, we often tend to slack on our fitness regimens. Sometimes, we don’t even realize we’re doing it. We skip a workout session here and there, or we don’t push ourselves as hard as we once did.
As we get older, we often tend to slack on our fitness regimens. Sometimes, we don’t even realize we’re doing it.Some of this is just maturity taking hold, and it’s not all bad. Loading up the squat bar with way more weight than you have any business squatting is an amateur move, and you’re right to be careful with your back and knees. So while heavy weight lifting can be good, you just have to make sure you do it within reason and in an intelligent way. Consider using a machine when you do squats, instead of doing them freestanding. And whenever you put in a heavy lifting day at the gym (it may be best to limit yourself to no more than 3 of these sessions a week), be sure to get plenty of rest time and high quality sleep between workouts.
Further, skipping workout day in favor of binge-watching your favorite series is a guaranteed way to pack on the pounds, especially if it becomes a real habit.
