As men, maintaining an optimal testosterone level is essential to feel your best and living a healthy lifestyle. From sex drive and energy levels to muscle mass and mood, testosterone is fundamental to every man's physical and mental well-being.
While plenty of workout regimes and diet choices have the potential to boost your testosterone levels naturally, it's critical to understand the fundamentals of this vital hormone so you can start taking control of your health today.
You likely already know that men must have a high testosterone level, but you may not fully grasp the finer details of this hormone.
To help, we have listed several vital facts that every man needs to know to be better equipped to maximize their testosterone.
They range from what testosterone does to our bodies, why keeping balanced levels is so crucial, and, most importantly, how to optimize it in healthy ways:
1. There are several types of testosterone
You may previously have thought of testosterone as a single hormone in your body controlling various functions, but it can appear in many different forms.
Of course, going into the minute details of the kinds of testosterone is very scientific and knowing about them won't necessarily help you and me.
Instead, it's a sensible idea to understand the two main phases of testosterone in your body - free and bound testosterone.
Firstly, most of your testosterone will be bound to proteins and the amino acids in these proteins. Being connected to these proteins stops your muscle tissues from using testosterone all at once, which plays a vital role in controlling the amount of active testosterone in your body. Bound testosterone helps to regulate your metabolism and other biological activity.
Conversely, when testosterone is free, it's not bound to any proteins in your body, meaning your muscle tissue can absorb it freely.
This type of testosterone is responsible for your male characteristics, such as facial hair and a deeper voice. Free testosterone can also help your muscles grow, contract, and protect you from heart issues.
If you're ever going to measure your testosterone levels, try using a service that can provide more specific details about your different testosterone levels. Most checks will inform you of your total testosterone, which checks free and bound levels.
However, it's been stated that looking at free testosterone is more effective at diagnosing any deficiencies and issues.
2. Testosterone can affect your brain and body
Testosterone affects your body and brain in many beneficial and sometimes negative ways, depending on the hormone levels.
Take stress relief, for example. Studies show that testosterone can help decrease stress levels and nudge the mind into a calmer state. Higher testosterone levels can make you feel relaxed and confident.
Regarding the body, testosterone helps build muscle and bone mass, increases energy levels and promotes healthier skin. It also plays a role in regulating sex drive and sperm production. All in all, testosterone covers you from the brain to the bones - making it an essential hormone for men who want to look and feel their best.
A full list of all the things that the hormone testosterone plays a part in includes:
Muscle mass
This is one of the most well-known effects of testosterone. Testosterone plays a vital role in muscle growth and development, and men with higher testosterone levels tend to have more muscle mass and less fat than those with lower levels.
Testosterone also helps to increase strength and power, making you perform better at sports.
Fat distribution
Testosterone affects where fat is distributed in the body. Men with higher testosterone levels tend to have less body fat and more muscle mass than those with lower levels.
Testosterone also affects how the body uses fat, and men with higher levels tend to burn fat more efficiently than those with lower levels. You can expect to gain weight and fat much faster if you have low testosterone.
Red blood cell production
Testosterone is also responsible for the production of red blood cells.
Red blood cells are essential for carrying oxygen throughout the body, and men with higher testosterone levels tend to have more red blood cells than those with lower levels. This can improve athletic performance as well as overall health.
Bone density
Testosterone plays a role in bone health, and men with higher testosterone levels tend to have denser bones than those with lower levels. This reduces the risk of fractures and other bone-related injuries.
Sex drive
Testosterone is responsible for libido, or sex drive. Men with higher testosterone levels tend to have a higher libido than those with lower levels, which can be for those in relationships.
Testosterone also affects sexual function; men with higher levels often have better erectile function than those with lower levels. Too little testosterone can lead to infertility.
Mood
Testosterone significantly influences your mood and cognitive function, and men with higher levels often report feeling happier and more energetic than those with lower levels.
You'll also have better memory and be better protected against degenerative diseases.
3. Your testosterone is at its highest in the morning
Testosterone is produced and developed as you sleep, and the development of the hormone is at its biggest when you're in a deep sleep.
As a result of this, testosterone would be highest in the morning. Studies have shown that men feel more energized at this time of day and perform better too.
That extra burst of energy comes in handy when taking on challenging tasks throughout the day, which is why it's an excellent tactic to front-load your day with high-energy tasks.
While everybody needs a mental and physical boost to start their day, having optimal testosterone levels can be just the push you need to start off strong.
To make the most of your higher levels of testosterone in the morning, try to schedule your workouts or even more challenging daily tasks this morning, as you should see a big boost in performance.
It's been said that working out in the morning can help you lose more weight and build mass more effectively, and the endorphins released from activity can set you up to have a more vitalized day.
4. Certain foods can boost testosterone
Testosterone is a naturally occurring compound in your body, but it doesn't mean you can't change your diet to help boost it.
If you're looking to improve your testosterone levels, there are plenty of great foods you can focus on eating to get their benefits.
Some of the essential foods you should try adding to your diet include:
Eggs
Eggs are a great source of protein, fat, and nutrients, making them ideal for boosting testosterone levels.
In addition to being a good source of protein, eggs are also a good source of healthy cholesterol, which is necessary to produce testosterone.
Shellfish
Shellfish such as oysters and crabs are rich in zinc, which plays a key role in testosterone production.
Zinc is also essential for reproductive health, so it's no surprise that shellfish is often touted as an aphrodisiac.
Beans
Beans are a great source of fiber and protein, two important nutrients for maintaining testosterone levels.
Fiber helps to regulate the hormones that control testosterone production, while protein provides the building blocks for testosterone and gives the hormone something to bind to.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are other great sources of zinc, magnesium, and selenium, which are important for testosterone production. A handful of nuts daily can help you a world of good.
5. Your testosterone levels will drop as you age
During your life, most men will have their highest consistent levels of testosterone in their 20s and early 40s, meaning this is the prime time to work on your health and fitness to maximize gains and set you up for a healthy lifestyle in the future.
As the decades pass, your overall testosterone levels will start to fall and dip, and those reduced numbers come with many side effects.
Older men beyond their 40s may start to see a drop in their metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. As well as this, your ability to grow muscle will begin to suffer, and if you have a significant drop, you can also start to experience mental symptoms such as low moods, depression, and a diminished sex drive.
Suppose your estrogen levels begin to outweigh your testosterone. In that case, you can also start balding and gaining weight, leading to the dreaded manboobs developed because of excess growth in your breast tissue.
Thankfully, there are many things you can do to help you cling to your testosterone levels as you age and retain the male and masculine features that make you, you.
Changes to your lifestyle, such as working out and eating right, can help you prolong your testosterone, but one of the most effective solutions is to turn to testosterone supplements.
Here at Testoprime, we develop some of the most effective side-effect-free testosterone supplements that are completely natural and legal.
Incorporating them into your diet can help improve your total and free testosterone levels, giving you more energy and improving your performance.
Know your testosterone
For males, testosterone is the most crucial hormone that dictates much about your health and fitness, so trying to understand the hormone better and how it affects you makes sense.
These nuggets of information barely scratch the surface of testosterone and how it affects your body and performance. These are some of the essential information that all men should know to maximize their fitness and health.
Always consider your testosterone when analyzing your health, and be cautious of the symptoms of low testosterone, especially as you age, as that could contribute to various issues and ailments.
And if you need help boosting those testosterone levels, introducing a supplement such as Testoprime can help maintain your levels.
