According to John Gray, world famous author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus:
- The average North American male has low testosterone.
- The average married man has low testosterone.
- A man needs 30 times the testosterone as a woman.
- Excessive talking raises estrogen.
- Guys with more time to themselves tend to have more testosterone.
Gray explained the need for men to work on their own or “retire to their caves” to restore their natural testosterone levels. This can be dirty, dangerous work, watching sports, car maintenance or working out. Guys need their time away from women, period. Gray describes the men’s actions being like rubber bands. They run away, then they come back, they go away and come back. It is nothing vindictive, but rather a natural behavior.
Women might think that this is strange behavior. But, they had better pay attention as not only has guy-girl behavior lowered testosterone, the whole North American lifestyle is draining away the male drive.
I have observed in both the workplace and the media, a definite drop in North American male testosterone. It is more than evident at the skyrocketing examples of:
- Depression. There is a major increase in a lack of sex drive and poor concentration in males. In the last few years, five of the funerals that I have attended were from male suicides, mostly soldiers and a firefighter. All from high testosterone jobs.
- Weight gain. You cannot walk down a street without seeing guys waddling around with big guts and “man boobs.” It might be time to start marketing a “Manssierre” (designed by the character Kramer on the Seinfeld show). (I used to counsel a former Canadian Special Operations soldier on fitness with no avail, until one day, I told him flat out that he was forming man boobs. This insult seemed to have snapped him out of his depressed daze and we started working out.)
- Lack of ambition. You see this with the docile types on the campus or work place. There is a real “who cares” attitude, irritability, whininess and lack of personal drive.
- Reduced muscles. It is the man’s testosterone that builds bigger muscles. Low testosterone means a lack of muscles.
- Fatigue. Again, a lack of personal drive. I heard a very scrawny guy with a depressed chest trying to get me to do a power wash job on my own while he claimed to have chronic fatigue. He looked more like a low te
Aside from John Gray’s recommendations in general behavior, men can greatly increase their testosterone by taking action in their own personal lives. Namely:
- Avoid soy products. They contain plant estrogen.
- Avoid high sugar intake. Sugar inhibits the growth hormone need to grow muscle and burn fat.
- Performing strength training. Get off of the cardio machines earlier and lift heavier weights. The strength building increases growth hormone and testosterone and burns fat. It also trains your body to regenerate itself faster than cardio exercises.
- Get a good eight hours of solid sleep per night. Even five or six hours of deep sleep are more productive than eight to ten hours of restless sleep.
- Eat high protein meals. Your muscles, skin, hair, brain and nerves are made of protein. The women’s fashion magazine weight-loss diets will often NOT work for men. Protein is needed to not only build tissue, but to fight infection and remove excess water.
I have seen marked physical, as well as mental and emotional improvements in men (and women) when they improve their hormonal balances through proper exercise, nutrition and proper rest. Before you reach for another pill, consider improving your overall health first with lifestyle changes.