As men, testosterone is essential to our health, our energy, our optimism, and even our ability to take risks. As we age, our testosterone production naturally drops, leading to a decrease in our vitality, our vibrancy, and dare I say it, our vigor. But some 60-year-olds have managed to remain stronger and more spry than most 30-year-olds. The reason is because what matters is not necessarily how much testosterone is produced, but how much is available to your body for use. Doesn’t it make sense then, that we need to find ways to naturally jack up our testosterone levels? Of course it does. Hulk Smash!
The ‘O’ in OMG stands for onion. In Iran, research on rodents has demonstrated that onions do in fact raise testosterone levels. The ‘M’ stands for monounsaturated fats, which are present in foods like nuts, olives, oatmeal, and avocados. ‘G’ stands for ginger. Ginger has been considered to be an aphrodisiac in many cultures throughout the world and preliminary animal studies confirm their potential. I had my ginger this morning. There are many other foods that increase the bioavailability of testosterone, but these are just a few of my favorites. As always, consult with your doctor if you have any concerns about drug interactions.
Stress increases abdominal fat and decreases testosterone circulation. A little stress is good for you, but too much and you will find a waning enthusiasm for life. Meditation is proven to reduce stress in a way entirely different than aerobic exercise. Therefore, you should do both. I’ve heard that T’ai Chi and Yoga are forms of “meditation in motion,” but I’ll admit, I don’t have much experience in these disciplines.
Weight-training, especially low rep, close-to-max sets, elevates basal metabolism, decreases body fat, and ramps up production of growth hormone as well as testosterone. Fat cells actually secrete estrogen, which inhibits testosterone release. In general, anything that decreases blood flow will have a negative impact on testosterone availability, including the big 3: diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Single men who lack relationship experience have been shown to have lower testosterone than single men who have had relationship experience. Some researchers believe this is because it puts them in a competitive mindset. I imagine once you’ve had some experience, your mind rationalizes that you are now in the running, so to speak. Winning increases testosterone beyond the level of simply competing.
Finally, though completely unproven, I suspect that talking to beautiful women also boosts your testosterone. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
Choose to Take the Journey 
First of all I want to say wonderful blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you don’t mind.
I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your mind before
writing. I’ve had a tough time clearing my thoughts
in getting my thoughts out there. I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes
are generally wasted just trying to figure out how to begin.
Any recommendations or hints? Cheers!
Hey, thanks for following my blog. How do I clear my thoughts before I write?
The short answer is: I don’t.
The long answer is the following:
First, I’m always collecting ideas. Whenever I read, hear, or spontaneously think of something that might be potential writing material, I tap it into my phone. Also, I do the first draft of my blog posts while I’m at work. I do this for a couple of reasons. (1) I don’t have much time to write when I get home. (2) I want to lower the bar for myself. Because I work at an extremely successful practice, I have patients coming in to see me almost non-stop on most days. I only have 5 to 15 minutes at a time, so I will write ANYTHING.
For example: Night time. Tired. I wanna respond to my commenter. I’m a professional. I always do the right thing. Maybe not always, but I try. And I’m getting better. Like right now, someone is reaching out and I am responding.
I write down exactly what I’m thinking, almost like a 5 year-old child writes in his diary. The key is to not judge yourself. After a few days of this, I have the raw material for a blog post generated in roughly the order that I want. Only editing remains. As a writer, you already know that the hardest part is starting. It’s that initial disembarkation from the harbor that’s difficult. After that, you’re just cruising along.
Another thing, I try to forget about my audience. I write what I would like to read. In this way, it’s not too unlike talking to a girl you just met (or a guy, but I much prefer girls). Talk about whatever you want and if she digs it, cool. If she doesn’t, she probably wasn’t going to stick around in the long-term anyway. Finally, when I’m done writing for the day, then I clear my mind–usually through exercise or meditation. If I don’t, I’ll probably spend the next 3 hours tossing and turning in bed obsessing over whether a ‘6 year-old child’s diary’ might have been a more appropriate example. Cheers!