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Men's athletic training at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Increasing Testosterone Naturally Through Lifestyle

Today’s blog is primarily for the guys. We sometimes get asked what a client can do in order to increase testosterone naturally. This is crucial for us since we refuse to work with clients who use anabolic hormones for fitness gains.

Two of the most common dietary supplements that can help are zinc and vitamin D. If you do not take in enough zinc in your diet (sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, wild game, crab, poultry, beans, cashews, chickpeas, almonds, peas, yogurt, mushrooms, oyster & shrimp) it might be appropriate to supplement zinc in your diet.

Vitamin D is important for people living far away from the equator or like most office jockeys stay inside for the most part of their day. An intake between 400-800 IU is commonly recommended in most countries but still might be subclinical deficient.

Examine.com recommends a year round supplementation of 3000 IU of Vitamin D which increases serum vitamin D above 30nmol.

Magnesium (250-400 mg/day) as well as Creatine (5g/day) seem to have a positive impact on testosterone as well.

Interestingly talking to an attractive woman seems to increase testosterone production temporarily by about 30% but that is hardly enough to have a positive impact on your fitness results.

The testosterone increase through sexual arousal diminishes after the arousal is gone but it does not completely vanish and unlike some common myths portray: ejaculation does not negatively effect testosterone levels.

I know this is kind of an odd topic but we are occasionally asked what men can do to increase their testosterone levels without going for hormone treatment.

Have a great day,

Michael

Resources:

Examine.com

A Zombie App can help you with your Fitness in Charlotte at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness

Getting Fit While Zombies Are Chasing You

It is sometimes hard for people to get started working out. There are thousands of apps by now providing you with training tools and good advice but what most apps lack is one crucial thing: The fun factor. 

In comes Zombie Run: This running app that puts you into an interactive post-zombie-apocalyptic world full of perils, opportunities and….walking, jogging, or running at your own pace.

What the game provides:

  • The free version provides you with 4 missions to try out.
  • In between game interactions you are able to listen to your own tunes, Pandora, Spotify, etc, the game will automatically pause the music and restart it.
  • It offers an additional “Chase” mode that notifies you with a warning sound of zombies approaching. In order to avoid the zombies you have to pick up your pace by a certain percentage which can be changed in the paid version ($2.99/month or less)
  • During the run you will pick up items that you can later use to distract zombies from catching you (in case you fail to increase your speed enough) or use it to build out your base (speaks to the computer geek inside of us, ahem me)
  • The game provides an interesting story line that keeps you captivated and makes you want to run more
  • The game will track your run statistics and enables you to share them
  • By now they have accumulated over 200 missions for you to do
  • The paid version can be set to automatically go towards the next mission or you can choose to radio mode (default)
  • The game does not dictate your pace other than to speed up during chases. It also does not forces you to change directions
  • Settings to use when you are on an elliptical, rowing machine or treadmill

    Zombie Run App at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting
    Are you faster than a zombie?

What is my experience:

  • By the time I am writing this I have run two missions with it so far. Running on trails makes it harder to avoid getting caught by zombies due to GPS inaccuracies.
  • Each session so far was about 30-40 min long. I like the radio setting as well as the go straight into the next mission setting
  • It definitely kept me motivated and made me pick up my pace.
  • I have a tendency to push myself and at points I tried too hard to “evade the zombies” which made me gas sooner considering I was running 7-8 miles total in hot and humid conditions
  • I definitely plan to use it more often considering I found the story engaging, the program interactive and it made me work harder. I will to make sure to pace myself.

Summary:

This might not be for everyone but especially for people who like computer games and interactive games this is fun. It can get you motivated to move your butt off the couch. I highly recommend giving it a shot. Become Runner 5 and find out what you can do in-game a well as on the road/trail running

Here is a video that gives you an idea what it sounds like:

Personal training helps stop making excuses

You know what to eat and do but you are not happy with your fitness level

Most of our clients are beginner’s in fitness when they start with us but we have a good number of clients who have been pursuing fitness for years, even decades and are not happy with their results.

They come in and when we talk to them, it is pretty evident that they have been reading up, have been in the trenches. Still when you look at them or their performance it does not seem to measure up to their knowledge.

So what is the problem?

In many cases it is accountability. What are you accountable to, who are you accountable to? When we have people write down when they train and what they eat, it  becomes obvious quickly that most people lack consistency. They train alright but they are busy at work and they miss a training session here and there. Missing one training session = not a big deal but missing one of 3 a week = 33% of your training in a month. You won’t be successful this way. With nutrition it is the same way. If you have a cheat meal you will still rock your goals but if you have whole cheat days or a cheat meal each day [which basically comes down to 2 whole cheat days counting breakfast, lunch and dinner] you are not going to make it.

What is your What?

It is much easier to stay on target if you are working towards something you really desire, and sadly weight loss is often not enough.

It might be: you wanting to prove to yourself that you are not the weak person that you were in high school or college, your first race, an active vacation with heavy duty hiking, you name it, the sky is the limit. In a few cases it can be health or fitness but I have seen it primarily work for people who have had a big scare like a doc telling them they are going to die if they keep it up. Even then unless they truly feel bad the chances are high that it won’t stick. They are training away from something, which can work at times. It is better to find something positive to train towards.

Who is your Who?

We train better if we are accountable to someone, at all times. with the good and the bad. It can be a personal trainer, it can be a friend, a family member, a dietitian, it even can be your online social media community. Find the person that is right for you. This person might change over time and you might find other people who can fill that role.

Powerful Combination

A combination of both will have the most impact. You will have most likely the most success If you are working with a person [i.e. personal trainer]  and you are working towards a specific tangible goal at the same time.

 

Have an awesome day,

Michael

back health at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

4 Drills for Thoracic Spine & Shoulder Mobility

Due to an increasingly sedentary work environment for most people that involves sitting at a computer for ours typing away or staring at numbers etc. We see more and more people in a posture like the one at the end of the caricature.

evolution-man-computer

 

 

 

 

 

The shoulders are slumped forward and people are constantly hunched. Here are 5 drills you can do to improve thoracic spine mobility, scapula movement, and chest flexibility.

Thoracic Spine Extension

Being in a bent over position for most of the day can wreak havoc on your posture . This drill is great if you have a strong rounding of your back and work in a hunched position

Thoracic Spine Rotational Mobility

If you are lacking rotational mobility this drill is for you. Make sure to keep the back straight, you can support your head with a pillow. Make sure to pinch the foam roller tight and reach towards the ceiling and diagonally out.

Prayer Stretch

This stretch hits thoracic spine extension, scapula movement, triceps stretch & lat stretch. Make sure to keep the head in alignment with your spine, don’t drop it. Keep the back straight, don’t arch your back. If you have a tendency to arch the lower back to avoid the stretch, scoot closer with your knees. This rounds your back more and prevents you to arch.

Pec major & minor Stretch

If you are really tight in your chest use a half foam roller. It puts you into a better position. Press the arms and elbows on the floor and slowly reach beyond your head and pull back. Hold the stretch in a 90 /135 and 180 degree angle for 10-15s.

Have an awesome day,

Michael

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