If you or someone you love has testicles, I have some bad news.

A recent study found microplastics in the testicles of 100% of the men tested. This may explain the alarming decline of sperm counts and testosterone observed over the past few decades.

This is bad news, no getting around it. But I have two pieces of good news:

I’m not going to mention testicles any more times in this post
There are many actions within your control that support healthy hormone levels

Rightfully so, many are freaking out about the findings. But freaking out won’t keep the microplastics out of our balls (see, I’m a man of my word).

90% of people worried about microplastics are not doing the bare minimum required to support healthy hormone levels.

To maximize testosterone levels, prioritize these four areas:

Sleep
Exercise
Diet
Supplementation

All in all, I have 9 T-boosting tips that you can start tomorrow to optimize your hormone levels.

Think your testosterone could use a boost? Cover your bases in all nine of these arenas to ensure you keep testosterone levels high.

1. Maintain a Healthy Body Composition

If you’re severely overweight or underweight, your testosterone levels will suffer. In general, strive for a body fat percentage between 8-19% if you’re a male and between 21-33% if you’re a female (1).

2. Manage Stress Levels

High levels of chronic stress drastically reduce testosterone and may be the primary culprit to blame for the low testosterone epidemic. To reduce stress, focus on mindfulness, exercise regularly, consume a variety of healthy foods, and strive for a balance between work and relaxation (2).

3. Get Plenty of Sunshine/Maintain Optimal Vitamin D Levels

Low vitamin D is associated a host of chronic health conditions as well as low testosterone. If you’re one of the high percentage of Americans that are deficient, supplementing with vitamin D, especially in the dark winter months, can certainly boost testosterone (3, 4, 5).

4. Eat a Wide Variety of Vitamins + Minerals

Just as low vitamin D can be a cause of low testosterone, so can deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and E.

To prevent deficiencies, be sure to consume a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, seafood, and nuts and seeds (6-10).

via GIPHY

5. Resistance Train

Studies have consistently shown that those that exercise frequently have higher testosterone than those that are sedentary. Specifically, lifting weights has been shown to be the most potent testosterone boosting form of exercise (11, 12, 13).

6. Prioritize Quality Sleep

Inadequate sleep quality is one of the most significant drivers of low testosterone. To optimize sleep quality and hormone production, get 7-9 hours of sleep in a cool, dark room, reduce high intakes of alcohol before bed, and aim to go to bed and wake up at the same times every day (14, 15, 16).

7. Reduce Exposure to Environmental Toxins

Avoiding exposure to toxins is one of the most effective ways to maintain optimal hormone production. The 3 most important ones to be wary of include:

BPA - avoid canned foods that aren’t labeled “BPA free”, avoid handling receipts (often coated with BPA), choose “BPA free” Tupperware.

Phthalates and other additives in plastics - avoid using plastic containers/toys that contain BPA. Avoid products that contain “fragrance” in the ingredients, as it may mean the product contains phthalates. Choose phthalate free personal care products.
Glyphosate - Choose organic fruits, vegetables, and grains, especially if they are included in the “dirty dozen”, a list of produce that is traditionally high in glyphosate (63). Consume more sulfur rich foods such as eggs, onion, and garlic, as sulfur plays an important role in the body’s detoxification process (64, 65).

Hormone disrupting chemicals are especially concerning because they can enter our bodies in detrimental amounts without noticeable symptoms. To prevent excess exposure without driving yourself crazy, prioritize changes in the most important areas and try not to stress out about every possible exposure (17).

8. Don’t Drink Too Much Alcohol

One of the litany of negative effects of high alcohol consumption is decreased testosterone production (18, 19, 20).

To prevent low T, try not to consume more than the recommended amount of 1 drink/day for women and 2 drinks/day for men (21).

via GIPHY

9. Consider Supplementation

While the majority of supplements fail to live up to their advertised hype, especially in regard to hormone production, some may have a small positive effect. In addition to the aforementioned vitamin D and zinc, ashwagandha, DHEA, and fenugreek have all been shown to boost testosterone in those with already low levels (22-27).

But John, I’m Too Busy

You may be thinking “great points, John. But I’m way too busy and have way too much going on to ever make time for all that stuff. Can’t I just take a pill or a shot and call it a day?”

I totally understand the appeal of a quick fix. However, there is always a trade off.

Unless you have chronically low levels or an actual medical condition that results in low T, lifestyle changes should always be your first move.

Here’s an example of a guy with a dialed-in, hormone supporting lifestyle.

Ideal Hormone Supporting Schedule

6am: Wakes up after a refreshing night of sleep. He brushes his teeth, drinks a glass of filtered water with a pinch of sea salt, fills his thermos with black coffee and heads off to the gym.
6:30am: Timmy arrives at the gym and performs a resistance training workout. His workout consists of 5-15 reps, high bang-for-your-buck, compound movements. He is in and out in an hour and heads back home.
8am: After a quick shower, Timmy has left himself enough time to cook and eat a nutritious breakfast (if he wasn’t working from home, he would’ve packed overnight oats to-go in a BPA free glass container). He whips up 2 eggs, a bowl of oatmeal mixed with half a scoop of protein powder, and a ton of antioxidant rich berries. It’s January and dark and cold most of the day, so he takes 5,000 iu’s of Vitamin D3 with his breakfast.
9am: He begins his workday. Every hour, he takes a 5-10 minute break to walk around outside, get some fresh air, and sunshine on his skin. He confronts high stakes situations with deep breaths and tackles each task one at a time, keeping stress low.
12pm: For lunch, Timmy chows down on some ground bison, basmati rice, and a mix of broccoli, carrots, and mushrooms covered in olive oil and a pear for dessert. He leaves himself enough time for another 10 minute walk outside in the sunshine to reset before the 2nd half of work.

1pm: More work, more activity and stress management breaks. When he can, he stands at his desk to reduce his amount of time sitting. As soon as he finishes his final task for the day, he shuts his laptop and commits to not let work take up any more headspace until the clock strikes 9am the next day.
5:30pm: For dinner, Timmy continues his intake of protein, healthy fats, and high fiber, minimally processed carbohydrates. Tonight, he chooses baked salmon, sweet potatoes, Brussel sprouts, and an apple.
7pm: After a long, after-dinner walk with his significant other, he sits down to relax and watch his favorite show, Jeopardy! Of course, he puts on his blue light blocking glasses to reduce his exposure to artificial light and boost his sleep quality.
8pm: For dessert, Timmy enjoys a bowl of greek yogurt mixed with some more protein powder, frozen cherries, and a heaping scoop of almond butter. Along with his pre-bed treat, he takes his zinc and ashwagandha supplements. Timmy chooses zinc because he didn’t consume much red meat, shellfish, legumes, or nuts today. Though he doesn’t take it consistently, he also pops two ashwagandha pills because its cortisol-reducing effects will help him manage his stress during this especially demanding period of work. He passes on beer and wine because he has decided to only drink on the weekends and knows that even a small amount of alcohol before bed will disrupt his sleep quality. When he does indulge, he limits himself to 2-3 drinks
9:15pm: After flossing and brushing his teeth, Timmy is ready for bed. Before he jumps under the covers, he takes 3 minutes to write a short journal entry about the highlights of his day and lists at least one aspect of the day that he is grateful for.
9:30pm: By turning the thermostat down to 66 degrees Fahrenheit, closing the blackout curtains, and getting to bed on time, Timmy has set himself up for a high quality night of sleep. He gets cozy under the covers, closes his eyes, and drifts off to sleep, ready for another day chock full of testosterone boosting habits tomorrow.

Small Changes Add Up

To recap:

The top nine ways to boost testosterone include maintaining a healthy body composition, consuming a wide range of nutrient dense foods, and getting high quality sleep.

Additionally, reducing exposure to toxins, decreasing alcohol intake, and supplementation to prevent common nutrient deficiencies will support hormone production.
Small-scale changes to your daily routine will add up significantly over the course of weeks, months, and years.
Increasing low testosterone may be one of the most effective ways to:
- increase energy
- improve body composition
- improve overall quality of life

Chronic levels of low testosterone will wreak havoc on your health and well-being, but with these 9 top tools and the daily integration into your routine we have the power to remedy the situation. Small-scale changes to your daily routine will add up significantly over the course of weeks, months, and years.

To optimize your hormone levels, begin making daily, practical changes in the right direction. If your testosterone levels are low, boosting your levels can be one of the effective ways to improve your energy, sex drive, body composition, and overall quality of life.

Best,

John

P.S.

In another article, I explain why the average testosterone level in American men has taken a nosedive. You can read that one below:

Your Grandpa Is Manlier Than You. How To Fix It.

P.P.S.

The beard is from 2019. Should I bring it back?

3 Steps You Can Take

Apply for coaching - If you’re ready to start, you can fill out a coaching application here (it takes 90 seconds or less). Best case, you change your life. Worst case, I’ll help you draw up a road map to get closer to your goals.
Sign up for my newsletter - If you’d like to hear more, sign up for my mailing list here.
Keep learning - You can check out my other articles here. Nobody asked me to, but I’ve spent a ton of time researching everything from artificial sweeteners to saturated fat to testosterone and more, so you don’t have to.

Sources:

9 Ways To Boost Testosterone