Remember, if you’re carrying around a few pounds of fat on your belly, you’ll want to do your best to lose this as belly fat contains the enzyme aromatase, and this converts testosterone into two forms of oestrogen. So the more belly fat you have, the higher your oestrogen is – and the lower your testosterone will be. Which is the polar opposite of what you want!

During your next workout, draw maximum benefit from minimum time investment with this fast-paced bodyweight cardio routine. It’s simple, but effective: You’ll perform an exercise for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, and then perform another move for 20 seconds. You’ll repeat this process for 20 minutes straight.

“You’re cramming a ton of work into a short amount of time with minimal rest, which increases the intensity and burns a ton of calories in the process, ” says BJ Gaddour, C.S.C.S., who uses this technique in his DVD Bodyweight Cardio Burners. It gets your heart rate up and keeps it there for an intense, steady burn while you build strength. In fact, researchers have found that training like this burns roughly 30 percent more calories per minute than running on a treadmill.

And since you’re alternating between two body-weight exercises that work opposing muscle groups, you won’t fatigue as quickly as you would if you were working the same muscles the entire time, says Gaddour. (For instance, skier swings to hammer your hips and lower body and a plank to hit your abs.) That means you can go harder and faster for longer.

In order to give you an even bigger post-workout metabolic boost, Gaddour removes the rest from the final 5 minutes of the workout and replaces it with isometric holds. He calls this the body-weight boom. It’ll keep your muscles under tension longer, promoting muscle growth and revving your metabolism for hours after you’re done.

Ready to get started? Test yourself against 10 minutes of the fat-burning workout below. To find the rest of the 20-minute body-fat sizzler and more awesome workouts just like it, check out Men’s Health Bodyweight Cardio Burners today.

Read the whole article and see the video workout on Men’s Health

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Embarking on something new is the most exciting, energizing feeling in the world. We get fired up and can’t stop talking about it, at least for a while. Then, inevitably, we hit a plateau. Stagnation sets in and we lose our mojo.  For the purposes here, I’m assuming mojo refers to desire, passion, or motivation.  Here are what the best of the best entrepreneurs and venture-backed CEOs do when they’ve lost theirs.

Change Your View: It’s time to leave the uninspiring, gray-walled cubicle farm and get some work done from the park, art museum, or college campus. Environment matters. We encourage our kids to play outside, so why not take our own advice? Challenge yourself to the 5% dare: switch it up for just 5% of your work week (only 2 hours out of a 40-hour period). Take calls while on a walk through the zoo, analyze a summary from a picnic blanket in the botanical garden. You’re bound to think differently than when staring at Excel from your desk.

Change Your Attitude: As Wayne Dyer pointed out and my colleague Dan Gilbert lives by, “You’ll see it when you believe it.” Envision your “finish line” – signature from a new client, 15 pounds lighter, or PTA’s parent of the year award – and feel what it’s like to have attained your goal. Work backward to determine what it takes to reach that point. Setting small, incremental goals for each stage of the process will help keep you focused and your mind alert; before you know it, you’ll see the manifested outcome of all that you believed.

Change Your Patterns: Tuli Kupferberg wisely noted, “When patterns are broken, new worlds can emerge.” Be brave! Buy that Groupon for the weird class around the corner – give it a whirl. Go to the gym after work? Try pumping some iron before you get to the office. If you eat at the same restaurant for lunch all the time, walk one block farther to check out a new spot. See what happens by just sitting on the other side of your desk, looking at a different wall or window. It’s a variety of small improvements that will increase your batting average dramatically.

Change Your Priorities: If you tell me that writing, raising capital, and spending time with your daughter are the most important things to you, that’s wonderful. However, if your calendar lists none of those activities and is instead filled with meetings for all kinds of other things, you are living a fantasy. Your calendar does not lie about where your focus and priorities are, so make it clear that you value your own time for the categories upon which you want to focus. Block out time for activities requiring your attention and adjust the rest of your day accordingly. Need to leave at 4:00 to make it to soccer practice for your daughter? Bring work home or get in earlier to make it happen. The only way to accomplish goals is to force them to the top of your to-do list. Robin Sharma phrases this perfectly: “Your daily schedule reflects your deepest values.”

Change Your Mentor: Whom do you look up to? The best of the best have the best of the best of the best as mentors. Learn as much as you possibly can from experts who want to share their wisdom, imparting helpful lessons to impact your success. The ball is in your court: Make the effort to keep a relationship active by scheduling a standing get-together or call, without being pushy. For example, one of the companies in our portfolio at DVP was founded by a young man in his early 20s, named Shawn Geller. He reached out to me and asked to have a monthly, one-on-one lunch to talk about leadership. Done. No-brainer. The hour spent together is always productive and lessons learned (hopefully) have a tremendous impact on Quikkly, the fledgling company he’s growing readily.

Change Your Friends: The people with whom you surround yourself heavily influence you. If you’re lacking motivation and feeling down on everything, it might be time to upgrade your sphere of influence. Negativity breeds negativity, but likewise with positivity, which is the good news. Those closest to you should be the same people who bring out your best qualities, including your mojo for life’s adventures. If family improvement is important to you, offer to host the moms from your gym for the next play date. Let all the kids have a great time together and you’ll have a chance to bond with likeminded women about a shared value – your children. Similarly, grab drinks and watch the game with your old college roommate, or take up the neighbor on his kind offer for a round of golf at the nearby course. Friends aren’t meant to be taken advantage of, but these connections’ values are sure to rub off on you. That’s great, but it’s not just values. I’ve heard it’s likely that your net worth is the average of that of your five closest friends. When you hang out with successful people, you elevate your own game, so choose wisely.

Change Your Thoughts: One of my favorite pearls of wisdom is that, “You are what you think about.” Instead of thinking you “can’t do X” or “won’t be able to do Y,” think about your ability to do them: you could do X if… Fill in the blank and then make it actionable. For example, thinking you’re “fat” doesn’t accomplish anything – even if it’s true. Instead, think, “my ideal body image would be…” and fill in the blank. Make that your mantra and kick your tush into high gear to get there. Hire a trainer, catch up on those Men’s Health issues gathering dust, and opt for oatmeal in lieu of junior’s PopTarts. By the end of the day, think, “I’m making a conscious effort toward my ideal body image.” Same goes for pitching a VC, rocking the bar exam, scoring a date with your dream woman. It can be done, so make it happen.

Not all of these changes are easy. In fact, none of them are. They all require a forced change of habit, which can be a seemingly insurmountable challenge. If this challenge seems too daunting, you can keep doing what you’re doing and just expect a different result. And we all know what Einstein said about that. Getting your mojo back is critical for your quality of life so it’s cause for some radical changes and the outright shattering of your own conventional wisdom. Face it – feeling passionate and motivated every day for your work, family and self is a win for yourself and those that depend on you.

Yeah, baby!

Check out the original post on Forbes

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1. Stay trim.

Belly fat and obesity are testosterone killers. One study showed that obese teen boys have up to 50% less testosterone than their non-obese peers. One reason for this may be that fat cells contain more aromatase, an enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen.

Unfortunately, obesity and low testosterone reinforce each other, leading to a spiral of weight gain and hormone imbalance in men. The good news is that reversing the spiral is mutually reinforcing as well.

2. Get eight hours of sleep.

One study showed that after only one week of just five hours of sleep nightly, testosterone levels dropped 10-15%. While surviving on only a few hours may sound macho to some, it’s actually eroding your most important male hormone.

3. Avoid toxins that harm the testicles.

Phthalates and parabens in personal care products like lotions and shaving creams, and BPA in plastic bottles and on store receipts, are anti-androgens, meaning they disrupt the production and function of multiple hormones including testosterone.

So, green your bathroom cabinet, use stainless-steel reusable water bottles, and say no thanks to receipts at stores to avoid these chemicals.

4. Relax like a pro.

Stress is a major driver of low T. Ultimately your adrenal hormones, thyroid hormones and sex hormones are all interconnected in a beautiful but complicated dance.

A stress-driven phenomenon called “cortisol steal” can lead to a hormone imbalance where the production of testosterone is decreased in favor of cortisol. Stress also increases the production of aromatase and 5-alpha-reductase, two enzymes that break down testosterone.

If you relax and breathe, meditate, do yoga or otherwise boost your parasympathetic nervous system, even for just 10 minutes a day, you give your hormone system a chance to reboot and rebalance, lowering cortisol and increasing testosterone.

5. Avoid statins and eat more fish oil.

Not only do statin drugs negatively impact mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of your metabolism, they have been shown to lower free and total testosterone. This is most likely because cholesterol is the building block of all of your steroid hormones: cholesterol becomes DHEA, which in turn becomes testosterone.

Eating more fish oil will lower inflammation (inflammation lowers testosterone) and will also support the production of healthy cholesterol, the ultimate building block for T. As a bonus, fish oil also lowers sex-hormone binding globulin, the school bus-like protein that ferries testosterone around the body, so that more testosterone is free and available.

6. Take your vitamins seriously.

Vitamins A and E, and minerals zinc and selenium are like fertilizer for androgen production and testicular function. While in the developed world we may eat a lot of food, most of it is low or totally missing these important micronutrients.

Supplements are one targeted way to get more of these critical nutrients, or, eat more shellfish for zinc and selenium, carrots and kale for vitamin A, and almonds and sunflower seeds for vitamin E.

7. Get some sun!

The male reproductive tract is a target for vitamin D, and vitamin D supplementation has been shown to increase total testosterone, bioavailable testosterone and free testosterone. We have an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. If you aren’t sure of your level, get tested, and in addition to supplements, be sure to get your 15 minutes of direct sunshine a day.

Read fill article on MindBodyGreen

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The only way to maintain a healthy brain is to move regularly to get blood pumping around it – this stimulates neurogenesis (the creation of new brain cells) and it makes us smarter, think more clearly, rationally, improves motivation, induces creativity, mental energy to name but a few of the benefits movement has for our brains. Our heart, arteries and veins strengthen when we get our heart rate up, our lungs’ capacity increases when we use them to their extent – most notably with high intensity interval training. Studies have shown that short bursts of high intensity intervals increase your heart stroke volume – that’s the amount of blood your heart pumps per beat. Your pulmonary performance also increases – that’s your lung capacity.

You can change your mental state instantaneously by getting up and jumping around. As Tony Robbins says, our psychology (state) equals our physiology. The way we move our body, body language, our posture, gestures, facial expressions, our tonality will all determine our state. Feeling low on confidence? Lacking mojo? Move your body, change your posture, lift weights, strengthen. Power poses can increase your testosterone by up to 20% in a matter of minutes!! Lots of weird and wonderful chemical reactions and hormone release take place when we alter our posture and move.

Low libido? Get your heart rate up, lift weights, burn belly fat, eat fewer carbs, consume way more vegetables (to consume micronutrients – vitamins and minerals), eat more dietary fat, protein and fibre. Do this consistently and you’ll notice a difference. Here’s an outline of what is explained in The Truth About Exercise. You can download it for free by clicking here.

Exercise is essential for our mind, body and soul in a number of ways. Here are jsut 20 benefits exercise brings to our lives which will be explained soon:

1. It feeds the brain with oxygen from your blood
2. Induces creativity, ideas & insight
3. It balances and aligns your body
4. Increases attention, concentration and focus
5. #1 stress reliever and anxiety curer
6. Gets you feeling positive, happier and optimistic
7. It teaches you to relax
8. Helps you sleep well
9. Motivates you
10. Boosts your physical and emotional energy levels
11. Makes you smarter
12. Fends against ageing/memory – when you age, your memory actually shrinks – exercising slows this down significantly
13. Reduces the risk of stroke
14. Reduces risk of heart problems
15. Protects your immune System
16. Strengthens and protects your muscles, joints and ligaments
17. Strengthens and protects your blood vessels and veins
18. Strengthens and protects your heart and lungs
19. It reverses the negative effects of alcohol!
20. Exercise of course makes us fitter!

Not exercising is a depressant and leads to all sorts of illnesses

Many neurodegenerative (brain decline) disorders, such as Alzeimers and Parkinsons have been linked with lack of exercise. Other organs fail because of a lack of exercise.

Not forgetting of course how exercise helps to balance hormones, increase testosterone and improve libido.

Click here to download The Truth About Exercise

The post The Truth About Exercise appeared first on Mojo Multiplier: Build Muscle, Burn Fat And Increase Energy.

While it’s normal for testosterone levels to decrease as you age, the rate of decline seems to be at an all-time high. Today, men’s testosterone levels are 25% lower than two decades ago. This doesn’t just affect your libido or ability to build muscle. The latest research shows that low testosterone levels may leave you more susceptible to chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and depression.

How do you know if you have low testosterone? A blood test for bioavailable and free testosterone will tell you exactly where you stand, but the most common symptoms seen in clinical practice are: low sex drive, fatigue or poor energy, increased body-fat, decreased muscle mass, low mood and irritability.

Turn on the TV during the next big football game and you’ll see commercials for the latest gels and creams as a quick fix for low testosterone. While these may address symptoms in the short-term, they won’t address the root cause of your low testosterone.
How can you restore you energy, mood, lean muscle, and libido? The answer is not in a bottle…it’s on your plate!

Here are the top 4 nutrition pitfalls that can strongly contribute to low testosterone:

1. You Don’t Eat Enough Saturated Fats
Over the past three decades doctors and dietitians have told you to AVOID saturated fats like the plague. In particular, saturated fats from animal sources were vilified as disease causing and harmful for your health. Interestingly, this span of time coincides with a significant decline in testosterone levels in men…and it is no coincidence!

Cholesterol is the building block for all your hormones, including sex hormones like testosterone. Studies show athletes training intensely and following low-fat diets suffer from lower testosterone levels, whereas athletes following high-fat diets – in particular saturated fats – are able to mitigate exercise-induced reductions in testosterone.1

Adopting a Paleo diet is a great way to optimize your intake of healthy saturated fats. Include one to four tablespoons of butter (grass-fed is best), ghee (clarified butter), coconut oil or red palm oil daily with your meals. Remember, saturated fats have a high smoking point making them a great choice for pan-frying or stir-frying. Or, simply add them to your veggies before you eat!

2. You Sabotage Deep Sleep With Late Night Snacks
Simple sugars trigger the release of serotonin, your happy neurotransmitter, providing you with some relief and comfort after a busy day. Unfortunately, an evening bowl of ice cream or chocolate dessert raises your blood sugar hormone insulin and interrupts your sleep hormones.

High evening insulin delays melatonin production (your sleep hormone) and ultimately affects your testosterone and growth hormone production overnight. Growth hormone, the “fountain of youth” hormone, teams up with testosterone during deep sleep to build lean muscle and support deep, rejuvenating sleep.

Don’t sabotage your testosterone-building sleep. Replace sugary snacks in the evening with frozen grapes or berries, or enjoy a cup of herbal tea (mint, chamomile, rooibos) to help relax your nervous system. Be sure to aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night.

3. You Eat Too Many Carbs (And Simple Sugars)
If you are overweight or out of shape you likely have poor insulin sensitivity. This means that your body does not process carbohydrates very efficiently, resulting in consistently elevated insulin levels in your bloodstream. Chronically high insulin leads to the over-production of a hormone called androstenedione, which competes with testosterone in the body, resulting in low testosterone. Androstenedione is also five times weaker than testosterone, meaning you are getting far less bang for your buck.

Therefore, if you are overweight the best way to boost testosterone levels will be to improve your insulin sensitivity by losing weight. This is a very common scenario that suppresses testosterone production. Simply adopt a high protein, high fat, low carb (less than 100g per day) Paleo diet and your testosterone levels will be back on the rise in no time (your libido too!). (Note–If you are already very lean, these rules don’t apply. A very low carb diet for too long can excessively elevate stress hormones and suppress testosterone.)

4. You Drink Too Much Alcohol
Did you know that the medical definition of a binge drinking session is only five units of alcohol for a male and four for a female? A recent study found the average number of drinks on a night out is between 8-9 drinks per person. This is almost twice the amount of the medical definition of a binge (perhaps a “double binge” is the appropriate term!).

Typically, the higher your alcohol intake, the greater your weight gain around the abdomen. Unfortunately for men, the more fat you store around your belly, the greater the activity of an enzyme called aromatase, which converts your precious muscle building testosterone to estrogen.

A simple way to restore testosterone levels is to cut out alcohol completely for 1-4 weeks. If your schedule and client outings won’t allow complete abstinence, try cutting your intake by 50% and not consuming more than 2-3 drinks in a single day.
Beer is the worst offender as it is mildly estrogenic, offers up an excess of calories, and contributes to the classic ‘beer belly’. Opt for red wine (high in aromatase inhibiting resveratrol) or spirits–neat, on the rocks, or mixed with soda water.

Finally, if you follow a bodybuilding style workout–training different body parts multiple days of the week–then you may want to tweak your program to boost low testosterone.

The research is clear that compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts (cleans, snatches, jerks) are hands down the best way to naturally boost your testosterone levels. Simply combine lower body and upper body exercises into the same training day and you’ll maximize your hormone-building potential.

If you are training three days per week perform deadlifts on day one, Olympic lifts on day two, and squats on day three. Add in compound upper body movements like bench press, push press, chin-ups, pull-ups, inverted rows and dips and you’ll increase your testosterone and lean muscle in no time.

Be sure to include whey protein isolate (40g for men, 30g for women) after each training session to accelerate recovery and promote muscle protein synthesis. If you can digest dairy, full-fat milk (750ml-1L) is an excellent post-workout choice.

There you have it, correct these four common dietary pitfalls, modify your workout regime, and your testosterone levels will be back on the rise. Symptoms of low libido, fatigue, weight gain and low mood will soon subside without the need for costly creams and gels! Give your body the right nutritional building blocks to maintain a healthy testosterone balance.

Read more on PaleoHacks.com

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