The Natural Way To Get Your Mojo Back

Before I get stuck into this post, I think it’s worth noting just what ‘mojo’ is. Maybe thanks to Austin Powers everyone seems to have an idea of what it means. The Oxford English dictionary refers to mojo as a magic charm, talisman, or spell and they use this phrase as an example: “Someone must have their mojo working over at the record company”. Another dictionary defines mojo as ‘a power that may seem magical and that allows someone to be very effective, successful, etc.’ A lot of people associate mojo simply to sex, but really covers more than that. Besides being an avid Austin Powers fan, I thought the term mojo described exactly what it is, I endeavour to help people with on this site. Simply put, when you’re in the best physical shape you can be in, you’ll radiate energy, both mentally and physically. Your skin glows, you’ll feel less fatigued, you’ll develop confidence and self-esteem. You won’t be stressed out and get ill easily. You’ll be in the best physical shape so you can do whatever fun physical activity you fancy doing and your mind will be in an optimum state so you can do what it is you want to do in your career with the best chances of success. Your mojo will multiply!

An increase in testosterone will happen naturally when you’re mindful about what you eat, and when you move and strengthen your body. When we consider food as fuel and not as emotional, we consciously invest in our longterm health, rather than for instant gratification and a ‘quick fix’ which often hurts us in the longterm. When we move and strengthen our bodies we are fitter and more energetic so we are in a position to overcome stress and obstacles with greater ease. On that note, the stress hormone, cortisol, acts against testosterone, so we need to keep that down.  The no. 1 method for emotional renewal and for stress relief is aerobic activity – according to tony Schwartz who wrote The Power Of Full Engagement.  Stress builds up naturally daily so we need to alleviate it daily. I find morning is best to move and strengthen my body. If I don’t do it then, I’ll rarely get around to it in the afternoon. It also sets up the day to be a success when you start off strong.

Testosterone is the dominant male hormone that is responsible for a number of the above; mental and physical energy, mental clarity and motivation, burning fat, building muscle, libido, reducing fatigue, confidence. Unfortunately in today’s world, we’re being bombarded by the media and by giant food corporations with really, really poor food choices. Toxins and poisons in fact. That may sound extreme but it’s a fact I’m afraid. Most of what we find in our supermarkets has unnatural ingredients; added hormones, antibiotics, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, GMOs, artificial sweeteners, deadly vegetable oils, trans fats, sugar etc. Each time we consume these types of food, they throw our hormones out of whack, we gain fat (“weight”), our oestrogen levels rise and testosterone levels drop. The first thing to do when being mindful about increasing testosterone is to switch to organic food and stick to natural foods – plant based foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grasses etc) and meat and fish. Basically, steer clear of anything that comes in a box and if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, put it down and walk away!

The next natural thing to do when wanting to increase testosterone is to think about your insulin – this is your fat storing hormone.  Your pancreas secretes insulin when you take in sugar or carbohydrates to remove the excess sugar from your blood as otherwise it becomes toxic. It then converts it to fat (typically) unless you’ve just done a work out – when that extra blood sugar will be extracted and deposited into your muscle glycogen stores and actually help to build muscle – and muscle protein synthesis takes places. Belly fat contains the enzyme aromatase which converts testosterone into two forms of oestrogen – exactly what we don’t want! When oestrogen goes up, testosterone goes down. Oestrogen is pro-fat storage too which makes it more challenging to burn fat.

All vegetables have carbohydrates to a degree so we need to stick to ones with a low GI (glycemic index) – namely plenty of greens, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage), mushrooms, peppers etc – unless we have just worked out. Have plenty of vegetables – we need them for our micronutrient intake (vitamins and minerals). The higher GI carbs are grains (breakfast cereals, bread, pastas, tortillas), white potatoes and white anything. Instead, if feel you need a carbohydrate for energy, choose vegetables with a lower GI like yams or sweet potatoes, brown rice (if you must do grains), butternut squash, quinoa (not actually a grain). Steer clear of breakfast cereals and milk for breakfast and indulge in, say, an omelette or scrambled eggs with veggies and avocado. You’ll notice a positive difference in your energy within a few weeks.

Next, we need to consume lots of healthy fats. By healthy fats, I refer to plant based fats like nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, and animal fats including organic eggs (high in protein, Omega 3’s and cholesterol – that, contrary to popular belief, actually help to keep your harmful LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol down and raise your HDL – ‘good’ cholesterol. Also butter (from grass-fed cows if you do dairy), fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna) and lean organic red grass-fed meat. These lists are far from exhaustive.

Next, we need to move our bodies daily with a mixture of cardio and high intensity exercises (make sure your Doc is cool with that!) and lifting weights and/or doing bodyweight training exercises. Weight lifting immediately helps your body produce testosterone and it’s very effective in burning fat as well. The more muscle you have, the better fat burner you become.

And we need a healthy amount of protein to build muscle and burn fat, and of course a balanced amount of carbohydrates, fibre and fat as mentioned about. Low carb, high fat, for most people I find, is the easiest way to keen body fat down and to keep hunger at bay. Healthy fat doesn’t affect your fat storing hormone, insulin, which is why low carb, high fat, just works. And it’s sustainable. The constant insulin spikes that result from excess sugar and carbohydrate intake are why we have an obesity epidemic of stupendous proportions and is what leads to type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

If you’d like to learn more, check out Mojo Multiplier. It’ll change your life!