Unlock Your Vitality: The Hidden Connection Between Low Testosterone and Lasting Energy

Are you struggling with decreased libido, fatigue, increased body fat, or erectile dysfunction? These symptoms could mean that something is off with your testosterone. 

Could this be something you wrote? 

"I've been feeling exhausted all the time, no matter how much I rest, and it's frustrating because I used to be so full of energy. My motivation is at an all-time low, and it's affecting everything—from my workouts to my time with family. I've also noticed I've been putting on weight, especially around my midsection, and my libido just isn't what it used to be. It feels like my body is betraying me, and I’m not sure where to turn."

There are things you can do to unlock your vitality by optimizing your natural testosterone production. 

I’m sure you’re familiar with how important your hormones are. Your hormones affect every part of your body because they are chemical messengers that inform your body about its status and what other hormones to produce. The system responsible for producing your hormones is called the endocrine system. 

“The endocrine system is responsible for regulating multiple bodily functions to stabilize the body’s internal environment, much like a thermostat regulates the temperature in a room.  Hormones produced by the endocrine system affect virtually all of the body’s functions, including, but not limited to, triggering muscle contraction, stimulating protein and fat synthesis, activating enzyme systems, regulating growth and metabolism, and determining how the body will physically and emotionally respond to stress. (McArdle, Katch, and Katch, 2010)” 

The holistic approach to optimizing your testosterone looks at how the body is integrated. This means not just looking at all of the hormones and their interactions with various glands, but also looking at how all the bodily systems interact with each other as well. Everything acts in a feedback loop. 

Let’s learn a little bit about how the endocrine system works. 

But first, if you’re curious about knowing the status of your hormones, Wellness Moves offers multiple options for testing. Test, don’t guess. 

You can go to the Wellness Moves Dispensary and buy an Essential Health Panel that looks at 63 different biomarkers or Advanced Health Panel with 89 biomarkers. These tests require a lab visit. We also offer non-invasive Wellness Activation Scans that you can do from the comfort of your home through CBHenergetics which tells you your top 4 hormone imbalances, nutritional deficiencies, energetic sensitivities, and more! Use code WellnessMoves at checkout to save $20 on your scan. There are pros and cons to both tests and if you want the most comprehensive analysis of your body, order an Advanced Health Panel from Thorne and a Full Scan from CBHenergetics.

Download to learn more.

Bioenergetic Wellness Activation Kit.pdf

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Back to our regularly scheduled programming…

The primary glands of the endocrine system are your hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid, and adrenal glands. Each gland produces various hormones that are a part of the endocrine system’s feedback loop. Your hypothalamus is the primary player of the endocrine system. You could say it is the general. The hormone that is produced by the hypothalamus, which relates to your testosterone, is called Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone or GnRH. After GnRH is released, the pituitary gland comes into play. Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) are released by the pituitary gland. Then it’s on to the testicles where Testosterone is produced. 

There are even more hormones involved in the testosterone story, but for the story up to this point, remember that any of these glands or hormones can contribute to low testosterone. 

Other common contributors to low testosterone can be genetics, physical trauma, and chronic stress. The chronic stress can be a result of malnutrition, insulin resistance, hidden infections, poor sleep, overtraining, carrying excess body fat, or being sedentary, amongst other things. 

When it comes to nutrition, your body could be lacking the raw materials it needs in order to produce testosterone. If you do not consume enough calories, are not consuming nutrient dense foods, or are not getting enough dietary fat, you are putting yourself at risk for low testosterone.

Sleep is another important factor when it comes to testosterone production. “There is sleep‐dependent increase in testosterone that requires 3 hours of short wave sleep or perhaps a bit longer with increasing age (Wittert 2014).” Inadequate, low quality sleep is a significant stressor on the body.

Testosterone is considered an anabolic hormone and being chronically stressed produces more of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a catabolic stress hormone that maintains energy levels by breaking down carbohydrates, fats, and protein. 

Let me be clear, cortisol is not bad, but excess cortisol can be problematic. 

Excess cortisol can contribute to low testosterone in many ways. What we want to do is find balance in life so that we are not chronically stressed. Let’s take a look at some things we can do to reduce the stress load on your body.

Consume adequate calories

You need calories to support your daily energy demands. The amount of energy your body uses each day, measured in calories, is called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Energy balance is when our calories consumed match our calories burned. Energy imbalance poses a risk to your health whether you are over consuming calories or under consuming calories. Your body needs the raw materials to produce testosterone and not consuming enough calories means you are not consuming the raw materials needed. 

Increase sleep quantity and quality 

I know this is easier said than done, but it is imperative that you prioritize your sleep if you want to live a longer, healthier, more energized life. 6-9 hours a night is something you should strive for.

In this digital age, we are constantly being bombarded with blue light which affects the hormones in the hypothalamus. Our hormonal axis begins in the hypothalamus. Reduce your blue light exposure at night. A simple way to do this is to invest in some blue light blocking glasses. 

Increased mindfulness

It could be argued that a poor mindset can be more negative to your well-being than a poor diet. You need a strong mindset to unlock your vitality if you have lost it. You need to develop your mental skills to become more focused, aware, motivated, and disciplined in order to be at your best and achieve long lasting success. 

Say goodbye to your fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is a mental virus and is incompatible with the wellness mindset. You need a growth mindset. Believe in yourself–you have what it takes to reclaim your vitality. 

Mindfulness is a skill and you need to train it. To train your mindset you need awareness, a strategy, and action. I want you to say out loud what you want, how you’re going to get there, and an action that you are going to take. Now write that down on paper. Now type it into your phone. Now say it out loud again. If you are unwilling to do this simple step, this is a problem because action is a requirement to unlock your vitality. 

Gentle Yoga

The philosophy of yoga offers principles that can support you on your wellness journey. Yoga stands for “sound mind in a sound body”. The sixth and seventh limbs of yoga, according to Patanjali, are Dharana and Dhyana or concentration/intention and meditation/reflection. There are eight limbs of yoga according to Patanjali who first synthesized the principles of yoga. These limbs tie in nicely to increase your mindfulness. Practicing asana and pranayama will have a positive effect on the body as time spent in poses and focusing on the breath will calm the body and reduce the effects of chronic stress. Gentle yoga helps shift your physiology out of the catabolic state associated with chronic stress towards the anabolic state that will help produce more testosterone. 

Consume anti-inflammatory foods

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of your diet. They contain fiber and anti-inflammatory compounds. Excess processed sugar can lead to insulin resistance. There’s a reason why when you are stressed you crave something sweet and sugary. Insulin is a counter regulatory hormone to cortisol. That excess cortisol needs to be brought down, and consuming sugars produces insulin to counter the cortisol. Consuming fruits instead of processed sweets is going to produce less of an inflammatory response. Fruits and vegetables are also more nutrient dense providing your body with more of what it needs. 

Walking 

Walking is an easy way to destress. Unplug, get out in the sun, and enjoy fresh air and sunshine. Walking is the second most basic movement pattern following breathing that we teach at Wellness Moves. It is a low stress way to move and connect with your body. 

Supplements

Supplements DO NOT solve lifestyle problems. However, we can use supplements to aid us in reclaiming our vitality. I recommend testing before jumping into filling your shopping cart up with supplements. If your tests show that your testosterone levels and other associated hormones are out of balance, these are some supplements that can help.

DIM

-Enhances testosterone levels.

-Promotes optimal ratio of testosterone to estrogen. Reducing excess estrogen can be beneficial for physical exercise, weight management, and restoring energy levels. 

Rhodiola

-Rhodiola is a well studied adaptogen that increases resistance to chemical, biological, and physical stressors. 

-Promotes energy levels.

-Helps balance neurotransmitters.

Ashwagandha

-Ashwagandha is another well studied adaptogen.

-8 weeks of Ashwagandha extract was associated with a 14.7% increase in testosterone (Lopresti, Drummond, Smith 2019).

L-Carnitine

-Carnitine can help with fatty acid oxidation in the cell mitochondria, improving energy levels.

-Carnitine can reduce inflammation as it has antioxidant properties.

You can order these supplements at the Wellness Moves Dispensary

Time management

A lot of stress comes from being stretched too thin. There are only so many hours in the day and it is necessary to set aside the time for the tasks that we need to do. This includes setting aside time to prioritize our health. Time management exists on different levels. The wellness mindset doesn’t just look at the present moment, but takes into account the future. Investing time in yourself today will pay dividends in the future. Failure to invest time into ourselves is a recipe for disaster. 

Scheduling time for yourself on a calendar is an easy way to make sure you are investing time into yourself and your health pursuits. 

Stress management is essential for unlocking your vitality. The more stress you put on your body, the more we have to worry about hormonal imbalances such as low testosterone. Stress triggers an enzyme called aromatase which converts our testosterone into estrogen. 

The strategies discussed are holistic ways that you can reduce stress and unlock your male vitality by increasing your testosterone levels. I encourage you to test your levels to discover more about your testosterone levels. Read our last blog post about the holistic approach to reclaiming energy and reducing pain.

 Book a consultation with us today to start your journey to unleash your vitality!