Testosterone plays an important role when it comes to men’s overall heath, physique, sexual functionality and ability to fight against diseases.

For men’s fitness, testosterone is the main sexual hormone which gets decreased in count as men grows in age. Good testosterone level is responsible for physical changes in males such as increased muscle, hair growth, sexual well-being etc. So, having its optimal levels are very important at any stage.

Even, testosterone also plays an important role in female health and their sexual well-being.

So, There are many ways to increase the testosterone levels naturally as follows.

REGULAR EXERCISE

• Being a fitness enthusiast, I would say, it is highly proven that daily exercise and weight lifting are the most effective ways to boost the testosterone levels though the effect on testosterone levels may vary based on several factors, including the type of exercise and the training intensity.

HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS DIET

•  Second most thing is your daily diet, what you are eating affects your testosterone levels as well as other harmones as well. So eat more and more protein rich, fat rich and carbs rich diet

COMPLETE REST AND PROPER TIGHT SLEEP

• If you aren’t taking proper rest and good tight sleep then it may affect your testosterone health as well. Also, the sleep amount varies from person to person hence, their testosterone levels differ.

MINIMIZE THE STRESS LEVEL

• As per study, stress reduces the testosterone levels. So for optimal health and hormone levels, try to manage stress level. Be active, get good sleep, practice stress relieving techniques.

 HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS

• Now, fulfilling the nutrition requirement of health from daily diet is quite impossible hence, health supplements comes into consideration such as multivitamins, zinc, ashwagandha, ginger, testpro etc for improving the testosterone levels in the body.

AVOID ESTROGEN RICH FOODS

• There are many other factors as well which may affect the testosterone levels and one of them is higher estrogen level. So try to keep estrogen level minimized.

WATCH YOUR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

• Alcohol consumption is always dangerous for body. Study says excess alcohol consumption can decrease testosterone levels. As per experts, testosterone levels may drop in count as quickly as 30 minutes after you drink alcohol. Excess alcohol consumption can have negative effect on testicular health as well.

Also, Study states that Testosterone levels in male is at peak at 19 years old and naturally starts to decline with age. They decrease by an average of 1%–2% each year after age 30 years although they may stabilize in your 40s or beyond. Follow a nutritious diet and healthy lifestyle using some of the tips as mentioned above can help optimize the testosterone levels while also promoting overall health.

Now, what should be eat to maintain or optimize the testosterone level. As many nutrients, vitamin-D, magnesium, zinc are important for maintaining optimal testosterone levels.

1. Green leafy vegetables are the best sources of micronutrients, magnesium , minerals which increases the testosterone levels in the body.   Veggies like spinach, kale, collard greens are good.
2. Eggs- egg yolk are rich in healthy fat, protein, and selenium, a mineral that acts as an antioxidant in the body.
3. Avocados provide healthy fat, magnesium and a mineral called boron, which benefits the testosterone levels.
4. Fatty fish– Best omega-3 source like salmon fish and sardines are rich in nutrients that are important for hormonal health such as zinc, vitamin –d, and omega-3.
5. Fruits -pomegranate, cherries are the fruits which are high in flavonoid antioxidants, which helps to protect the testosterone-producing cells from damage and increase testosterone production.

Also, there medically, there are injections, liquids, gel, pills are available to increase the testosterone synthetically but IntExtFit would never recommend you to take these shortcuts as it stops producing natural testosterone in the body.

Now lets see on some symptoms of having low testosterone levels.

• reduced bone and muscle mass
• weakness
• decreased spontaneous erections
• reduced testicular size
• decreased sex drive
• loss of body hair
• fatigue
• profuse sweating

You should never self-diagnose the low testosterone levels in your body. If you suspect that you may have low testosterone, visit the healthcare professional for proper testing.

Now lets see about such food items which may decrease the testosterone levels as well.

• Processed foods- since all the processed foods are common source of trans fat, though it is most convenient food, besides often being high in sodium, calorie, sugar.
• Watch out your alcohol consumption.
• Few vegetable oil as they are high in polyunsaturated fat, which decreases testosterone.
• High and daily consumption of Mint and soy based products may decrease the testosterone level as they contain phytoestrogen which are plant based substance that alter the hormone levels and reduces the testosterone levels.