3 Best Moves to Prevent Back Pain (Men's Health)

When done together, these simple abs exercises will strengthen your core and save your back

By Michael Easter, April 23, 2013,Roughly 80 percent 

of men experience back pain, but now there’s hard-core pain relief. An abs workout may help your achy back, say researchers in Brazil. After cyclists with lower-back pain completed a core-strengthening program, 44 percent reported less pain. “Pedaling can create micromovements in your pelvis and spine, which can lead to lower-back pain,” says Stuart McGill, Ph.D., a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, Ontario. “Core work stiffens your spine and back, shifting movement to your legs.” A back-saving abs workout can help everyone from elite cyclists to desk jockeys. McGill recommends a 3-move routine consisting of the front to side bridge, curlup, and bird dog. Ready to try them? Watch the video below to see how to perform the exercises with perfect form. (We also sampled 6 back-pain treatments to see which one will Banish Back Pain Forever.)

Video:http://bcove.me/vs1k44u2

Source: http://www.menshealth.com/deltafit/3-best-moves-prevent-back-pain?cm_mmc=DailyDoseNL-_-1674854-_-04232014-_-The3BestMovestoPreventBackPain-link

Less white bread and more sex... 15 steps to getting fit for summer

Feelgood factor: a few simple changes to your diet and lifestyle could make a big difference to to your health

22 April 2014

Everybody is searching for the next big diet: the next starvation method to deliver short-term results. The reality is that real health and weight loss is staring you in the face.

Your body, when utilised properly, is a weight loss machine that will work hard to reduce body fat, increase lean tissue and become healthier. I'm going to tell you how to rev up your metabolism and regulate your appetite, and share the trade secrets that will help you stay healthy for life.
Supercharge your system and make your body work for you.

1 The Meal of Champions
If you want your body to work for you, you have to fuel it. Think of your metabolism as a furnace that must be kept stoked.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it fires up the furnace and turns your body into a fat-burning machine for the rest of the day. Skip breakfast and you will burn less calories during the day, you will be cranky, you will eat more and feel less motivated. Ideally choose organic porridge oats or eggs and wholemeal bread at breakfast time and, as a rule, aim to eat most of your carbs at breakfast and fewer as the day progresses.

2 Slow down
Ulster people tend to eat too quickly, without adequately chewing their food. Hence the body has to do extra work to break it down, and absorbs fewer nutrients in the process.
You should aim to chew your food for 30 seconds. Studies show that those who take more time to masticate their food have less of the 'hunger hormone' ghrelin circulating in their digestive systems. The simplest way to do this is to put down your knife and fork between each mouthful and let your teeth and jaw do what they were designed to do. You will also reduce stomach bloating, improve digestion and gain more energy.

3 Thirst v Hunger
The hypothalamus is the area of the brain that regulates bodily signals, including thirst and hunger. This means that we can often confuse thirst for hunger when we're not adequately hydrated.
Always have a glass of water at the first sign of hunger. Better still, aim to drink two to three litres a day, starting with lemon and hot water in the morning to flush out toxins.

4 The Stress/Belly Fat Connection
Stress causes the body to produce a hormone called cortisol, which can also promote fat storage, often around the stomach area.
Combine this with the natural ageing process, which lowers your metabolism and increases your fat content, and it's easy to see why middle-age and a wider mid-section go hand-in-hand. Many associate 'chilling out' with indulgence. The truth is that by relaxing the mind you will naturally increase your ability to get that waist back. Try turning off your phone for an hour a day, going for a 20-minute walk in the evening or practising yoga or meditation.

5 Watch the Clock

Your body has a natural circadian rhythm (24-hour cycle). From 8pm to 4am, your body is in the assimilation cycle. Your body is assimilating or absorbing nutrients from your food.

By eating late, your body spends a huge amount of time having to work at digesting your food when it should be sleeping. It reduces the speed at which you absorb the nutrients from your food, leaves you feeling bloated and full and affects your sleep. In an ideal world you should aim to eat your dinner at around 7pm, leaving time for a herbal tea such as peppermint to help you digest your food.

6 In the Bedroom

The aforementioned hypothalamus, which regulates hunger and thirst, also regulates sexual satisfaction. Sex increases your cardiovascular fitness, improves circulation, increases blood flow and, most importantly, releases a host of hormones, some of which play a part in regulating your appetite, specifically carbohydrate cravings. A healthy sex life plays its part in a healthy body.

7 Short, Sharp Bursts

We lead busy lives, struggling to get time for any training. Yet even five or 10 minutes of intense exercise can make a big difference to your weight, mind and body, turning it into a fat-burning furnace.

Short, intense and explosive bursts of exercise can fire up the metabolism, burn calories and release endorphins into the blood stream. Think quick sprints or jumping jacks – anything that breaks a sweat and gets you out of breath.

No matter what exercise you do, to force your body to get the maximum benefits from the workout you must ensure you are getting out of breath but can still hold a conversation. This is the zone at which your body gains the most from a workout.

8 Brown is the New White

Who doesn't want a flatter stomach, more energy and a healthier body? It's much easier than you may think. Simply drop the white carbs from your diet, replace them with wholegrain brown carbs and watch your body change.

Swap white bread for wholemeal brown bread, white pasta for brown pasta and white rice for brown rice. The white versions of these foods are higher on the Glycemic Index, which means they spike your blood sugar level which causes your body to release insulin to remove the excess sugar. The more insulin you produce, the more of your food is stored as body fat.

9 Press Pause

If you overtrain, your body will generally refuse to lose weight. You will be hungrier and struggle to train as hard as normal. You should take at least two rest days a week to let the body recover. This will ensure that you get the best results from your training.

10 The Spice Route

Adding spices to your food will help your body to burn fat, increase its metabolism and keep you healthier and free from illness.

Just increase the amounts gradually and you will grow to love spicy food. Need some inspiration? Add chillies to a stir-fry, ginger to juices and cinnamon to soups and stews. If you're grabbing a sandwich for lunch, add jalapeno peppers or a slick of mustard to your wholemeal wrap or roll.

11 Pros and Carbs

Every meal should contain protein. This has several benefits, including increasing lean muscle tissue, revving up your metabolism and helping balance insulin levels.

Ideally, you should eat 1.5g/kg bodyweight of protein a day. Eggs offer one of the easiest ways of achieving this. They are a complete protein, containing all eight essential amino acids and are full of vitamins and minerals.

12 Stay Strong

Many people eat when they are emotional, eating high-sugar/high-fat comfort foods that may make them feel better in the short-term but not in the long run.

One of the best ways to break this cycle is to exercise. When you're having a bad day or feeling low, you need to move. Movement will increase your energy and lower the emotional triggers that cause you to reach for the biscuits.

An hour-long walk will generally sort out even the most problematic of issues. This is especially true if you have had a bad day at work. Forget the bus and walk home instead. You will have worked out all the stress by the time you get there. Eat normally and avoid the pitfall of sugar-fuelled foods.

13 Sleep Yourself Slim

Sleep is the body's way to recover, regenerate and replenish. Deep sleep will aid your weight-loss process.

By turning off all electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed, reading to relax the mind and using blackout blinds to keep the light out, you will help the body to completely relax and recover.

Leptin and ghrelin work to control feelings of hunger and fullness. Ghrelin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract and stimulates appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you are full.

When you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat.

Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you crave more food.

14 Muscle Burns Fat

Muscle burns more calories than fat, therefore those who carry more muscle have a higher basal metabolic rate.

In fact, they burn more calories than someone with less muscle even while sitting at their desk eating a sandwich. As you get older your body naturally stores more fat and reduces its muscle content.

Hence resistance exercise is more important than ever.

One of my favourite exercises is the plank. It is fantastic for your core and is so easy to do. Start on elbows and knees, locking hands together. Now straighten your legs and raise your body so that you're supported by the balls of your feet, with feet hip-distance apart. Face the floor, being careful not to arch your back or stick your bottom in the air.

Hold this position for 30 seconds to begin with, extending the time as you get stronger.

15 Women's Health

When a woman is menstruating, her body will swell, she will crave comfort foods and often not feel like training.

It is key to recognise this, not panic and be more mindful of your body at this time.

To reduce swelling, increase your intake of citrus fruits and try boiling water with apple cider vinegar and lemon (cooled slightly before drinking) to help reduce the amount of fluid you gain.

Remember that women are naturally less hungry just before ovulation (mid-cycle) and more hungry in the luteal phase (pre-menstrual).

If you're feeling up to it, lifting weights as part of your training routine can help reduce the effects of PMS, improve your mood and reduce your comfort food cravings.

Most importantly, listen to your body and learn to anticipate the natural appetite peaks and troughs that occur each month.

We have a lot to lose...

More than half of all adults in Northern Ireland are officially overweight, while obesity kills around 450 people a year here, according to the Public Health Agency

Figures from 2011 estimated that the number of children in Northern Ireland between the ages of two and 10 who are classified as obese, is above 20,000

Three of the main health problems caused by obesity are cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes

European men are considered at high risk of these diseases if they have a waist measurement of around 40 inches or more (35 inches for Asian men), while for women, the figure is 35 inches or more, (32 inches for Asian women)

For further information and advice, visit www.choosetolivebetter.com.

Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/health/less-white-bread-and-more-sex-15-steps-to-getting-fit-for-summer-30204807.html

Healthy food for your libido

February 17, 12:28

As people age, their sex lives often slow down. “Most couples want a healthy sex life because it makes them feel good about themselves physically and mentally,” says Ellen Kamhi, clinical instructor of pharmacology at Stony Brook School of Medicine in New York. “Unfortunately, as couple age, their sex drive can ebb to the point where they lose interest. But it doesn’t have to be that way.”

“This can be due to stress, anxiety, or depression,” Kamhi tells Newsmax Health. “Other factors include low self-esteem, unresolved conflicts, menopause, physical problems, or fatigue.”

While there are many methods to help restore sex drive, certain foods have been found to boost libido naturally, says Kamhi.

1. Pomegranate juice. New research shows that this tasty and healthy beverage that’s loaded with antioxidants also reduces the risk of erectile dysfunction.

2. Oatmeal. Besides lowering cholesterol, a bowl of oatmeal daily helps produce a chemical that releases testosterone, which helps increase sex drive.

3. Honey. The B vitamins in honey support testosterone production. Honey is also high in the mineral boron, which helps women’s bodies process estrogen, a function that is important for arousal.

4. Eggs. Eggs are high in vitamins B5 and B6, which help libido by balancing hormone levels and fighting stress.

5. Bananas. Bananas contain an enzyme called bromelain which may help increase.

6. Celery. This vegetable contains androsterone, a hormone released in men’s sweat that’s said to be a pheromone that arouses women.

Studies have shown that healthy people can enjoy an active sex life into their 70s and beyond.

NEWS.am Medicine

Source: http://med.news.am/eng/news/862/healthy-food-for-your-libido.html

How to Increase Testosterone

If you're looking for ways to increase testosterone, then I don't need to tell you about the benefits. Maybe you've tried a testosterone pill and know how you feel when levels are high - more energy, increased focus, improved mood, and a wicked sex drive. Unfortunately, most men begin to notice low testosterone as they grow older, sometimes even in their twenties! Low testosterone is associated with worse moods, lower sex drive, and less ambition. Testosterone has so many benefits it would be ignorant to ignore it. Especially if fitness is a priority, a top concern should be to increase testosterone.
Unfortunately, many men think that the only ways to increase testosterone are through steroids or testosterone replacement therapy. However, by simply making some small changes in their diet, lifestyle, and vitamin supplementation, men can optimize their testosterone levels.

1. • 1
     Take fish oil regularly. Fish oil has so many benefits you'd be crazy NOT to be taking it. Not only does it increase testosterone, but it cuts your chances of a heart attack in half, improves the condition of your skin and hair, promotes fat loss, improves recovery time after exercise, and aids your joints. And since it does increase testosterone, it also has an effect on sex drive and mood. Moreover, it's cheap! Do a google search for fish oil to find out more. One of my favorite fish oils, though one of the more expensive, can be found here: https://www.t-nation.com/productInfo.do?id=910074 However, you can find fish oil twice as cheap!
   • 2
     Eat eggs, nuts, olive oil, and garlic. These three things are easy to implement in your diet. For me, adding in eggs for breakfast a few times a week has really made a difference. And you're probably not eating a good breakfast anyway, are you? Nuts and garlic are also a very good way to increase testosterone, as they contain healthy fats that are required for its production. Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which is great for testosterone. However, be sure to eat real garlic, as allicin breaks down easily and supplements may not have any left!
   • 3
     Supplement with Zinc. Zinc is absolutely necessary to maintain and increase testosterone, and unfortunately many of us are deficient. Zinc also inhibits something called the aromatase enzyme, which converts testosterone to estrogen. All in all, zinc is a very powerful element. It's even better to take ZMA, which is zinc combined with magnesium. You can find ZMA at most health food stores.
   • 4
     Broccoli and green vegetables. Broccoli is important to our testosterone levels because it, like zinc, inhibits the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. What use is it to increase testosterone if our bodies are just going to turn it into its opposite!
   • 5
     Get in shape. Your muscle to fat ratio has a significant effect on your testosterone levels. Basically, you want more muscle and less fat. By following these tips, you will notice an increase in testosterone naturally, but when you add in regular exercise, it will have quite an impact.
   • 6
     Stay tuned for my next article, where I will discuss the various herbs and testosterone pills that are proven to be effective.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4728820_increase-testosterone.html#ixzz2sHJx6XmS

14 ways to naturally Increase your testosterone

1. Get more Zinc
Zinc is very important for the production of natural testosterone because Zinc prevents testosterone from being converted into estrogen (the female hormone) by making the enzyme aromatase not work (look at #3 below) plus…
Zinc itself turns estrogen into testosterone and Zinc helps produce healthier sperm and higher sperm counts so actually… Low levels of zinc can cause low testosterone levels.
Foods high in Zinc include oysters (a natural aphrodisiac), liver, seafood, poultry, nuts & seeds or you can supplement with at least 50-to-100mg of Zinc daily


2. Eat more healthy fats
Research has shown that men who ate diets rich in healthy fats like monounsaturated fats & Omega-3 fats had the highest testosterone levels so…
You can naturally raise your testosterone levels by adding more healthy fats  by eating more nuts & seeds, fatty fish like salmon & tuna, avocados, olives, vegetable oils, and natural peanut butter and…
Eating a very low-fat diet can actually lead to lowered testosterone levels because your body needs healthy fats in order to produce testosterone but…
This doesn't mean you need to eat a REAL HIGH fat diet - Just make sure at least 20-to-30% of your total daily calories comes from healthy fats.

3. Lose body fat
The more overweight you are or the higher your body fat percentage is = The higher your estrogen levels will be because body fat contains an enzyme called aromatase that converts your 'manly' testosterone into 'womanly' estrogen making your testosterone levels drop so…
Look at these fat burning workouts to lower body fat, reduce estrogen and increase testosterone and…
Try not to Diet or cut too many calories when trying to lose body fat because you don't want your body going into starvation or survival mode which will cause your body to stop making testosterone so whenever you're trying to lose fat & increase testosterone at the same time…
Make sure you focus on losing 1-to-3 pounds of fat a week mainly thru fat loss workouts and a basic diet plan


4. Get rid of excess estrogen
To get rid of excess estrogen that makes you fatter & weaker so your body can naturally produce more testosterone…

• You can eat more RAW cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower because cruciferous vegetables contain a chemical called diindolylmethane (or DIM) that helps your body get rid of excess estrogen and… You can supplement with DIM to flush out excess estrogen or eat these other sources of cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts, bok choi, radishes, turnips, collard greens, and kale and…
• You can Eat more fiber to naturally cleanse your body and flush out toxins that cause you to have excess estrogen (like the xenoestrogens from #5 below) - Most fruits & vegetables, nuts & beans are all high in fiber and…
• You can also supplement with Red grape skin extract (resveratrol) to help your liver remove excess estrogen.

5. Try to avoid Xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens are man-made estrogens that are found in things like pesticides, artificial growth hormones & steroids, air fresheners and plastic containers and these xenoestrogens will increase your levels of the female hormone estrogen while lowering testosterone so…

• Eat more organic fruits & vegetables that are free of pesticides and if you do buy your fruits & vegetables at a regular grocery store… Make sure you wash them to lower your chances of consuming any xenoestrogens and…
• Eat more naturally raised meats instead of eating beef, chicken, pork and even milk that was raised using artificial growth hormones and steroids and…
• Use glass products to store food & water instead of plastic since plastic products tend to produce xenoestrogens that'll get into your water & food especially when heated and… Even some canned foods contain plastic coatings that contain xenoestrogens and…
• Don't use any perfumes, colognes, or air fresheners that have parabens listed as one of the ingredients. Parabens are xenoestrogens.

Please note: It'll be fairly hard for you to 100% completely avoid all xenoestrogens but if you follow the other tips on this page (especially tips #3 & #4) - You'll still be able to naturally increase your testosterone while getting rid of excess estrogen without having to worry so much about trying to avoid xenoestrogens and…

Also note: Since most xenoestrogens accumulate in your body fat - your best defense against xenoestrogens is to lose body fat (look at #3 again)

6. Get at least 6-to-8 hours of Sleep every night
A university of Chicago study showed that men who got little sleep had way lower testosterone levels than men who got 6-to-8 hours of sleep and… According to a University of North Carolina study… Your testosterone levels can drop down by as much as 40 PERCENT when you don't get enough sleep and generally…
Your testosterone levels are 30% higher in the morning than in the evening and this is why you may be more horny in the mornings and as a matter of fact…
A loss of morning erections or loss of sexual desire in the morning could be a sign that your testosterone is declining so you need to get 6-to-8 hours of sleep every night because while you're sleeping…
Your body produces the most testosterone and the better you sleep the more testosterone your body will produce while you sleep so if you're having trouble getting 6-to-8 hours of good quality 'testosterone producing' sleep every night - Look at 33 Secrets to a Good Night's Sleep


7. Stress Less
When you get stressed out - your body releases a "stress" hormone called cortisol that shuts down testosterone production…

Research led by Population Council endocrinologist Matthew Hardy found that stress hormones like cortisol overpower the enzymes responsible for ensuring that cells in the testes produce testosterone

Cortisol also makes you gain belly fat and you already know from #3 above that the fatter you are = you'll have more estrogen and less testosterone so…
You need to stop worrying about the little things, avoid overtraining, control your temper and look at these 100 ways to lower stress and Being more positive can reduce your stress levels and increase Testosterone…

A recent study found that fans of a losing team had 50 percent lower levels of testosterone after their team lost and fans had up to 100% higher levels of testosterone after their team won.

Taking a natural supplement like Ashwagandha can also help reduce cortisol.

8. Take 1000-to-1500mg of Vitamin C per day
Now if you have a hard time avoiding stress - you want to start taking 1000-to-1500mg of Vitamin C per day because…

• Vitamin C has been shown to lower cortisol levels allowing your body to make more Testosterone and like Zinc…
• Vitamin C reduces the armostase enzyme that converts your Testosterone into Estrogen.

9. Workout like a man
You can force your body to produce a lot of testosterone when you…

• Do Compound exercises that train several large muscle groups like Power Cleans, Squats, Bench presses, Deadlifts, Chin-ups, Dips, and Military presses and you can still do isolation exercises like triceps extensions, bicep curls or chest flyes for definition but if trying to boost your Testosterone and build more muscle quickly - stick with compound exercises and…
• According to a Swedish study… To get the biggest boost in testosterone when you do your compound exercises… Make sure you use heavy weights that will allow you to only do about 3-to-5 reps per set and you want to do about 5-to-8 sets of each compound exercise you do but…
• You also want to limit your workout time on those compound exercises to 1-to-2 hours so just do only 1-to-2 compound exercises followed by a few optional isolation exercises twice a week (Mon. & Thur. for example) and as for burning fat…
• Avoid 'sissy cardio' where you walk or run for long periods of time and start doing Manly Cardio workouts like Hill sprints and intervals 3-to-4 times a week and limit your long duration sissy cardio workouts to only 2 times a week and…
• Make extra sure that you rest harder than you work out because overtraining leads to more cortisol and lower testosterone (see #7 again) and you may need to get 8+ hours of sleep to allow your body to recuperate and produce more testosterone after you workout like a man (see #6 again) and…

10. Try to get Sexually Stimulated as much as possible
If you're not getting sexual stimulated or sexual aroused very much right now (especially if you're over 40)… You can dramatically boost your testosterone levels by getting sexually stimulated more often so basically…
You need to start doing almost anything you can to get a sexually stimulating 'Viagra free' erection and German scientists even found that simply having an erection causes your levels of circulating testosterone to rise significantly and look at how these other 3 studies prove how much your testosterone can rise after getting sexual stimulated…

In a study done by Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Urban Ethology in Vienna… 10 men viewed a 15 minute pornographic film and the men's testosterone levels increased 100 percent afterwards.

Another study published by Psychoneuroendocrinology used sexually arousing films on 9 males and testosterone levels increased within 10 minutes of sexually arousal.

In a study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior… Testosterone was measured every 15 min for 3 hours in 8 men before, during, and after the showing of a sexually explicit movie and there was an average increase of 35% in testosterone so…

Not getting sexual stimulated or aroused for long periods of time can actually decrease your testosterone levels so if you find it hard to get sexually stimulated… You can do all the other 12 things on this page to increase your testosterone which will increase your sex drive or libido making you get sexually stimulated much easier and/or…
You can take a supplement like Horny Goat Weed to make you get sexually stimulated more easier to ramp up your testosterone levels.

11. Make sure you're getting enough Vitamin A, B & E
Vitamins A , B & E (along with Vitamin C & zinc) are all essential in the production of testosterone and not getting enough A, B, & E Vitamins will lead to lower testosterone levels but… If you're eating plenty of fruits & veggies, lean meats and nuts then you shouldn't have to worry too much about supplementing with any extra A, B, & E Vitamins.

12. Don't overheat your testicles (your balls)
Your testicles need to be 94-to-96 degrees or about 2 degrees cooler than your body temperature to function at it's best and produce the most testosterone so…
If you're wearing tight underwear, tight pants, take long HOT baths or do anything thing else to overheat your testicles… You may inhibit your testosterone production so it's best to wear looser clothes like boxers to prevent overheating your balls and did you also know that…
Carrying around excess fat also overheats your testicles so look at #3 again for how to burn fat.


13. Don't Drink any Alcohol & Don't eat any Grapefruit
Even if you had only 2 drinks a day… Alcohol makes it hard for your liver to breakdown estrogen making you have more estrogen & less testosterone which will cause you to become more woman-like by making you loose facial & pubic hair, get man boobs and become impotent and…
Alcohol decrease zinc levels in your body (look at #1 again) an just like alcohol - Grapefruits can also make it hard for your liver to breakdown estrogen.

14. Boost Testosterone 40% with D-Aspartate
D-Aspartate is an amino acid that's produced in your pituitary gland and your testicles (or your balls) and it boosts the production of testosterone plus…
D-Aspartate also increases sperm production and the Journal of Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology reported that men taking 3 grams of D-Aspartate every morning increased their testosterone by 40%Source: http://www.nowloss.com/ways-to-increase-testosterone-levels-naturally-without-using-steroids.htm

Boosting Testosterone the Natural Way Is Better…And Legal

Posted 6/27/2013   Updated 6/27/2013 Email story   Print story

    

by Mary El Pearce
Health.mil

6/27/2013 - FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Testosterone is an important subject for any man, but especially for service men whose job requires them to be stronger and have more endurance than most professions. This hormone (found naturally in both men and women) helps maintain bone density, fat distribution, and muscle strength and mass. Low testosterone levels can result in many health problems and may require treatment, but men who use substances to increase testosterone levels without consulting a doctor may be putting themselves at risk.

A common thought is more testosterone means better performance, but this is not always true. In fact, tinkering with your own body's testosterone levels, especially by taking supplements or steroids, can have devastating effects. Some supplements, like DHEA and ANDRO, are known to increase the development of certain types of cancers and worsen existing cancers by accelerating the rate of growth. Steroids, when misused, can have serious side effects including increased levels of aggression, impaired judgment, depression, sterility, testicular atrophying and heart defects - to name a few.

Many service men believe they can improve their performance by increasing testosterone levels, but they also believe using substances such as steroids are okay if it helps complete a mission. The reality is, steroid use is illegal unless prescribed by a physician and is a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, punishable by reduction in rank or even expulsion from the armed services.
Barbara Darby, an Army substance abuse counselor, has observed this mentality firsthand.

"They thought they were covered by this unspoken rule," Darby said. "But then later, when they got caught, they had to pay the consequences."

The good news is that boosting testosterone levels doesn't have to be illegal or unsafe, and most natural methods have additional health benefits. Before you consider using a substance that could harm your career or health, consider these options:

■Keep your waist in check. Testosterone levels are directly related to your body mass index, which means that belly that's creeping up on you could be slowing you down more than you thought. A balanced diet, regular exercise and lots of water are the keys to maintaining a healthy physique, as well as keeping alcohol intake at one or two drinks per night.

■Lift weights. Strengthening your muscles boosts testosterone production. Pump iron at least twice a week. The more vigorous the workout, the larger the benefit. But be careful - if you injure yourself or feel more fatigued than usual, you could be overdoing it, causing testosterone levels to drop.

■Eat protein ... and fat. Both can affect your testosterone levels, so don't skimp on either. Fat should be 20-35 percent of your daily caloric intake. Find the "good" fat (monosaturated) in foods like olive oil, nuts and fish. An adequate daily intake of protein is one gram of protein per 2.2 pounds of body weight (e.g., a 180-pound man should get about 82 grams of protein in his diet each day). If you're on the go, foods like beef jerky, tuna, protein bars and peanut butter all provide high levels of protein.

■Manage stress. Your body's natural response to stress is to produce cortisol, which blocks the effects and inhibits production of testosterone (among other hormones). In unusual situations this isn't a problem, but everyday stressors can keep cortisol levels high. Deal with those stressors by taking deep breaths, exercising, talking about your stress to someone you trust or asking for help.

■Get plenty of sleep. The Centers for Disease Control recommends seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation elevates cortisol levels, and sleeping less than five hours per night can decrease your testosterone levels by 10 percent to 15 percent.

Source: http://www.afms.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123354240

13 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Testosterone Levels

By Ron Geraci, Men's Health, December 25, 2000

---

The normal level of testosterone in your bloodstream is between 350 and 1,000 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). Like combable hair, those quantities silently start to wane around age 40. You lose about 1 percent a year -- a harmless decline in the short term, but a cause of obesity, brittle bones, muscle loss and impotence by the time you reach your 60s -- if you live that long. Testosterone levels in the low range (a blood serum score below 350 ng/dl) may increase your chances of dying of a heart attack.


It's not just an old man's problem, either. Men in their 30s and 40s also fall prey to low testosterone counts. It's a disorder called hypogonadism, and it can be caused by an undescended testicle, a testicular injury, a pituitary gland disorder or even prescription drugs. It usually goes undiagnosed until a man hits his doctor with a telltale complaint: "I can't get an erection."


"If you have reduced levels of sexual desire, have your testosterone level checked immediately," says Dr. Allen Seftel, a urologist at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals of Cleveland. You can replenish your testosterone stores with injections, gels, pills or patches, but these medical treatments are no panacea: Side effects include acne, high cholesterol, shrunken testicles and liver damage. Further, don't take supplements like DHEA or androstenedione to boost testosterone; they might increase your risks of prostate cancer and heart disease.


"For men with borderline testosterone scores, I advise them to try to raise their levels through exercise and weight loss before going on testosterone therapy," says Dr. Goldberg. And it might pay to start young. "Since your testosterone declines at a steady rate, it's conceivable that raising your hormone levels naturally in your 20s and 30s could help you maintain higher levels later on," he says. Either way, the reward can be a stronger physique and better bedroom sessions than you'd otherwise deserve. Below are 13 tips designed to get your juice up -- safely.

Get Rid of the Flopping Belly

Or you'll grow a pair of fetching breasts to complement it. Carrying excess body fat elevates your estrogen levels, and that may cause your testosterone levels to sink, says Joseph Zmuda, an epidemiologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Louie Anderson is proof enough of this. Two or three extra pounds won't cause this hormonal shift; it really occurs once you're 30 percent over your ideal body weight. "Unfortunately, that's pretty common now," says Dr. Dobs.


But Lose Only One Pound a Week

When you want to trim down quickly, you probably starve yourself while exercising like a madman. One of the many reasons this stops working in your 30s, when your natural testosterone levels start dropping, is pretty simple: Cutting your calorie intake by more than 15 percent makes your brain think you're starving, so it shuts down testosterone production to wait out the famine. "There's no need to reproduce if you're starving," explains Thomas Incledon of Human Performance Specialists in Plantation, Fla. Ironically, this dive in circulating testosterone stops you from burning body fat efficiently, so you're actually thwarting your hard efforts to melt that tire off your gut.


Skip the Atkins Fad

Research suggests that eating a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet can cramp your testosterone levels. High amounts of dietary protein in your blood can eventually lower the amount of testosterone produced in your testes, says Incledon, who observed this relationship in a Penn State study of 12 healthy, athletic men.
Your protein intake should be about 16 percent of your daily calories, Incledon says. So, if you're the average 170-pound man who eats 2,900 calories a day, you should eat about 140 grams of protein daily, which is about the amount in two chicken breasts and a 6-ounce can of tuna.


Have Morning Sex

German scientists found that simply having an erection causes your circulating testosterone to rise significantly -- and having one in the morning can goose your natural post-dawn testosterone surge. It's a sure bet you'll burn a little fat, too.


Stick With Tough Exercises

To beef up your testosterone levels, the bulk of your workout should involve "compound" weight-lifting exercises that train several large muscle groups, and not just one or two smaller muscles. For example, studies have shown that doing squats, bench presses or back rows increases testosterone more than doing biceps curls or triceps pushdowns, even though the effort may seem the same. This is why doing squats could help you build bigger biceps.


Make Nuts Your Midnight Snack

Nuts are good for your nuts. Research has found that men who ate diets rich in monounsaturated fat -- the kind found in peanuts -- had the highest testosterone levels. "It's not known why this occurs, but some scientists believe that monounsaturated fats have a direct effect on the testes," says Incledon. Nuts, olive oil, canola oil and peanut butter are good sources of monounsaturated fat.


Squeeze Out Five Repetitions per Set

Throwing around 5-pound dumbbells won't help you effect a rise in testosterone. Start off by using a heavy weight that you can lift only five times. That weight is about 85 percent of your one-repetition maximum. A Finnish study found that this workload produced the greatest boosts in testosterone.


Do Three Sets of Each Weight-Lifting Movement

Researchers at Penn State determined that this fosters greater increases in testosterone than just one or two sets. Rest a full minute between sets, so you can regain enough strength to continue lifting at least 70 percent of your one-rep maximum during the second and third sets.


Rest Harder Than You Work Out

If you overtrain -- meaning you don't allow your body to recuperate adequately between training sessions -- your circulating testosterone levels can plunge by as much as 40 percent, according to a study at the University of North Carolina. The symptoms of overtraining are hard to miss: irritability, insomnia, muscle shrinkage, joining the Reform Party. To avoid overtraining, make sure you sleep a full eight hours at night, and never stress the same muscles with weight-lifting movements two days in a row.


Drive Home Sober

To maintain a healthy testosterone count -- and titanium erections -- cut yourself off after three drinks. "Binge drinking will kill your testosterone levels," warns Incledon. Alcohol affects the endocrine system, causing your testes to stop producing the male hormone. That's one reason drinking often causes you to go limp at the moment of truth.


Have a Sandwich at 3 p.m.

As any sensible woman knows, the way to put hair on a man's chest is to fill his stomach. Your body needs a ready supply of calories to make testosterone, so regularly skipping meals or going for long stretches without eating can cause your levels of the hormone to plummet. Then again, that's probably the warden's plan.


Buy the Fried Tortilla Chips

If you want to raise your testosterone score, eat a diet that includes about 30 percent fat, and not much less. Your body needs dietary fat to produce testosterone, so eating like a vegetarian aerobics instructor will cause your testosterone levels to sink drastically. This is bad, unless you actually are a vegetarian aerobics instructor.


Stop Surfing for Porn at 2 a.m.

Sleeping less than seven to eight hours a night can screw up your circadian rhythm. That's why it's no wonder your testosterone levels are higher in the morning after a good night's sleep. So if your work or social schedule keeps you stooped in perpetual jet lag, don't be surprised if you stop craving sex. At least that'll make it easier to stay out of bed.

Source: http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/boosttes.htm

7 Benefits of Positive Thinking

by Sammy Nickalls | on October 4th, 2013 |

Do you view your glass as half empty or half full? Do you tend to concentrate more on the problems or the blessings?


Your positive thinking (or negative thinking) is more than just a personality trait. It can influence your health, body, and overall way of life. If you consider yourself an optimistic person, good news: your sunny outlook could keep you healthy. Keep on those rose-colored glasses, because studies have shown that there are many benefits of positive thinking.

Benefits of Positive Thinking

1. Keeps your heart healthy

Being optimistic could be good not only for the mind, but for the ticker as well. According to a study Harvard researchers published in the Psychological Bulletin, optimism is associated with heart health and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, despite factors such as age, smoking habits, or obesity.
Related Article: 11 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

2. Lowers stress levels

Researchers conducted a study of college students and assessed their stress and coping mechanisms at the beginning and end of their first semester of college. The researchers found that positive thinking was positively associated with low stress.
In a separate study on survivors of missile attacks, researchers also found that pessimists tended more towards anxiety and depression under stress.
Now, we know most of you luckily won’t ever have to deal with something so traumatic as a missile attack, but if optimism can work for them, imagine what it can do for you!

3. It’s good for relationships

According to an article by psychologists Charles S. Carver and Michael F. Scheier, positive thinkers are likely to have more luck in love.
As the article points out, this could be for several reasons. People are more accepting of those who are positive, and optimistic people are more satisfied in their relationship than pessimists because, like everything else, they concentrate on the good aspects rather than the bad. The article goes on to explain that positive thinkers tend to work harder and more effectively at relationships.
Related Article: 5 Steps to Attract Your Perfect Partner

4. Helps you age gracefully

Optimists are akin to fine wines and cheeses—they get better with age. According to a study done at University College London, positive thinking was associated with “healthy aging.”

5. Helps you take care of yourself

Though you’d think that people who expect good things to happen would take less precautions to avoid health disasters such as heart attacks, the opposite is true. According to Carver and Scheier, positive thinkers are more likely to keep their bodies healthy by taking measures such as eating well, having safer sex to avoid STD’s and STI’s, and taking vitamins. According to the article, they  “scan for threats to well-being but save their behavioral responses for threats that are truly meaningful.”
Related Article: Healthy Living Tips – 9 Ways to Stay Healthy for Life

6. Lowers blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure, your negative thinking may be to blame. According to one study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, pessimists tended to have higher blood pressure than optimists. This is likely because of higher stress, which is often associated with higher blood pressure.

7. Increases pain tolerance

Your sunny outlook could save you anguish—literally. Though you’d think pessimists would have a higher pain tolerance because they are more likely to expect pain, the opposite is, once again, true. According to one study, those who see the glass as half-full tend to be more able to take pain, while their half-empty counterparts had a lower pain tolerance.

 

 

The Takeaway

The benefits of positive thinking are many. Though many see optimism as merely a personality trait, studies show that it’s much more than that. Expecting good things in life can make good things happen to your body. Optimists have healthier hearts, lower stress levels, lower blood pressure, higher pain tolerance, and more successful relationships—and they tend to take more health precautions and age more gracefully.
Life can sometimes seem threatening, and it’s easy to feel down and expect the worst sometimes. However, if you fight the urge and keep looking on the bright side, it will pay off—and your body will thank you.

Photo by Jon McGovern

Source: http://inspiyr.com/7-benefits-of-positive-thinking/1/

The Payoff in Waiting to Collect Social Security

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD

If an insurance salesman offered a product with a guaranteed income of nearly 7 percent for life, it would be foolish not to question whether it was too good to be true.

But the fact is, such a product exists. And it’s “on sale” right now, for many people 62 and older, at the Social Security Administration. 

Some people nearing or on the cusp of retirement consider buying immediate annuities from insurance companies: they hand over a big pile of cash to an insurance company in exchange for a guaranteed monthly income payment for life. But you can also “buy” an annuity, so to speak, from Social Security, and it’s a far better deal. 

Think about it this way. If you delay collecting your benefits, which can be claimed anywhere from age 62 to 70, the money you leave on the table each year is basically a payment for a much higher stream of lifetime income. And that money will buy significantly more income, perhaps 50 percent more for a couple, than buying an annuity through a commercial insurer.

“It’s almost a no-brainer,” said Steven A. Sass, program director of the Financial Security Project at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, who analyzed the numbers. “Depending on how long you delay, you will get an income equal to about 6 percent or more of the savings used to produce that income. You will get that income, rising with inflation, with no risk, sent to you by the U.S. government.” 

Delaying benefits requires leaving sizable sums of money on the table, which, for many sixty-somethings, could be too difficult — psychologically or financially. Some want to start collecting what they’re owed, while others simply need the money to live on. And individuals who aren’t healthy should clearly start collecting benefits as soon as they’re eligible.

But for people who are yearning for more sources of guaranteed income, this strategy — buying more income from Social Security — is especially attractive now when interest rates are low. Commercial insurers cannot compete on price, experts said, and they also have overhead that the federal agency does not. “Annuities look particularly horrible right now because the insurers must invest in bonds,” Mr. Sass added, “and bond interest rates are brutally low.” 

Consider a couple with a 65-year-old husband and a 62-year-old wife who decide to buy an immediate annuity — one where payments would keep pace with inflation, and that would continue to pay out as long as either spouse was alive. If they paid $100,000 to an insurer, they would receive in exchange guaranteed lifetime income of about $3,840 per year, according to a quote from Vanguard. That translates into a guaranteed income stream of 3.8 percent a year on the money they used to buy the annuity. 

Next, consider what sort of income stream they could “buy” from Social Security by waiting to collect benefits. Assume the husband, who is eligible to collect $12,000 at age 65, delays claiming until he is 66. By waiting the extra year, he would get a benefit increase of $860, for a total of $12,860. 

But if he had to buy that extra $860 annual income, he would have to pay about $22,500 to an insurer. A much cheaper way of getting the extra income would be to wait an extra year for his benefits, and dip into his savings for the $12,860 he is not collecting from Social Security. (Or he could potentially work an extra year and not dip into his savings.) 

By doing this, he receives a guaranteed income of 6.7 percent when he “buys” the income from Social Security, according to Mr. Sass’s calculations, compared to an income of 3.8 percent he would receive from an insurer.  

“You will not get anything close to that anywhere else,” Mr. Sass added.

Now let’s imagine the retiree could afford to wait until he was 70 to collect benefits. By waiting those five extra years, his annual benefit would increase to $17,000 — $5,000 more than the $12,000 he could get at 65.  

But if he had gone to an insurer to purchase that extra $5,000 in annual income, it would cost more than $130,000, according to Mr. Sass’s calculations. The less expensive route would be to delay benefits, leave the $60,000 on the table, and also eat into his savings. That means he would be getting a 5.9 percent income if he “bought” the income from Social Security versus the 3.8 percent he would receive from an insurer. 

These income rates also compare rather favorably to the income you can generate by a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds. “Given the volatility of such a portfolio, there is a lot of debate and ongoing research about how much you can safely withdraw without outliving your savings,” Mr. Sass said. Some research has found that the conventional wisdom — taking out 4 percent annually — could be too high. But for argument’s sake, let’s say it’s somewhere between 3 and 4 percent of the portfolio, and rises each year with inflation. That means you could initially pull out somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000 for every $100,00 invested. 

Delaying Social Security is a bit more attractive for married couples because you’re also getting something free that you would have to pay for in the commercial market: the survivor’s benefit. If the higher-earning spouse dies first, the survivor will continue to receive that benefit for the rest of his or her life. How much does it cost if you had to buy it? If we revisit the couple with a 65-year-old husband and 62-year-old wife, a survivor benefit for the wife reduces benefits by nearly a third, according to annuity pricing quotes from Vanguard. (You’ll also pay extra for an immediate annuity whose payments rise with inflation.)

“If you have a traditional couple where one worked a great deal and another didn’t work, by delaying claiming you can improve the survivor benefit substantially,” said Olivia S. Mitchell, an economics and public policy professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “If you care about your wife or husband, that might also help them in old age.”

The benefits rise so that you will receive the same amount over your lifetime, regardless of when you begin collecting, if you live to average life expectancy. But if you are reasonably healthy, the payoff can be substantial. If the higher earner — or any worker — can hold off until they turn 70, the benefits collected will be at least 76 percent more than if payments started at 62. 

Take those who are set to receive $1,000 a month at their full retirement age, which is 66 for people born 1943 to 1954, though it rises to 67 for younger people. A retiree who signs up for benefits at age 62 will collect only $750 a month. The extra credit earned by waiting until age 70 would increase that payment to $1,320 a month.

Your benefits generally rise by 8 percent each year you wait to collect beyond your full retirement age. 

“There is this enormous payoff to waiting,” said Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. “And nobody knows that.”

Well, some people do. Of the 1.4 million men and nearly 1.3 million women who began collecting benefits in 2012, about 1 percent of the men and nearly 2 percent of women were at least 70.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/your-money/the-payoff-in-waiting-to-collect-social-security.html?ref=your-money-email&nl=your-money&emc=edit_my_20131118&_r=0