I've got a LOT of friends, patients and clients who are always telling me "things shouldn't be this bad, this early" and this is in reference to just feeling older.

Yes, you may be losing muscle and getting fatter - but I guess you can always blame that on poor eating habits and not exercising enough.

And maybe with the gray hair, the wrinkles and even the receding hairline, you can blame it on "genetics". BUT, who or what do you blame your SEX DRIVE problems on?

Sure, you can say "it's probably because I'm just getting older", but then of course - you have friends who seem to be going strong and have no libido problems and yet, they're the same age as you! ... Am I right?

You might even blame your sex drive problems on "stress" or being "bored" with your partner. But come on, you can't use that excuse EVERY TIME, right?

Basically, what's happening is that your body is aging at an accelerated pace. There are a variety of reasons:

1. Diet and the foods we eat. For example, animal proteins (especially red meat) have a lot of bad hormones, estrogens, etc. -- this all decreases good hormones and increase the bad ones.
2. Stress can be a big cause, mainly due to the mismanagement of it, which leads to poor sleep, anger, insecurity, hopelessness and a decrease in "good" hormones and an increase in the "bad" ones.
3. Environmental problems which you have almost no control over, such as pesticides, pollution, plastics, radiation, etc.
4. Exercise is an obvious one - especially the LACK of weight training and resistance exercise, which is what our bodies naturally needs due to the "cave man" days and our genetics.
5. Drugs will do it as well - alcohol, cigarettes, prescription medications for sure, diabetes, prostate problems, etc., etc.

Some say "it's all genetics" and they are partially correct. BUT, genetics is nothing more than having OPTIMAL hormone levels, enzymes & receptors.

People with good genetics, SLOWLY decline in hormones and hence, why they are aging SLOWER than the rest of us.

So, science has discovered that if you can OPTIMIZE your hormones naturally ... YOU WILL REDUCE AND EVEN REVERSE THE AGING PROCESS! With that said, let's start with the KING of all hormones ...

Testosterone is the ONE hormone that really DOES control most of the positive physical AND mental aspects of your body - especially when it comes to your sex drive and muscle mass. This is true not only in men, but in women as well! Here are all the benefits of Testosterone:

POSITIVE Benefits Of Optimal Testosterone Levels It's the PRIMARY hormone that controls your sex drive - both physical performance AND mental desires, in men and women. It's the PRIMARY hormone responsible for how much muscle size and strength you have - as well as body fat (remember, the opposite hormone is Estrogen - which is responsible for FAT GAINS!) It's one of the PRIMARY hormone responsible for happiness and motivation. Some will talk about serotonin and dopamine, but testosterone increases BOTH of these "happy" hormones, while Estrogen suppress both. This why some women can typically become "sad" or "moody" during their monthly menstrual cycles (high estrogen, low testosterone). It's the PRIMARY hormone that controls bone density, arthritis, cholesterol, prostate health, blood pressure levels and even diabetes (higher testosterone levels leads to higher insulin receptor sensitivity and hence, decreases diabetes)! It's the PRIMARY hormone that controls brain waives and synapses firing - which leads to better memory retention.

There is a bunch more, but you get the picture. And again, this is for BOTH Men & Women. It's just that women need much less because their bodies are very sensitive to testosterone.

Science has shown that by age 27, we are producing up to 35% LESS testosterone than our early 20's and by the time you're 50 years old, testosterone levels are 75% LESS than what they use to be.

• loss of motivation and happiness in life
• loss of sexual desire and arousal
• loss of muscle size and strength
• lack of energy
• decreased "enjoyment of life" and feeling hopeless, sad and/or grumpy.
• increase in cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, adult on-set diabetes, alzheimer's and memory loss and many more problems.
• poor sleep, restlessness and depression

Can YOU relate to any of the above listed problems? ...

• 63% increase in getting HEART DISEASE, having HIGH cholesterol levels, and a negative imbalance in HDL/LDL levels
• 29% increase in having high blood pressure
• 88% increase in prostate problems, BPH and eventually prostate cancer
• 47% increase in having adult on-set diabetes
• 38% increase in accelerate hair loss and balding
• 92% increase in osteoporosis & arthritis (especially in women)

Now, if all of this isn't bad enough, our daily life-styles -- what we do, eat, sleep, drink and other factors -- can all NEGATIVELY influence your testosterone levels.

Factors That NEGATIVELY Influence Testosterone Levels Smoking, drinking alcohol and/or doing drugs. This includes prescription drugs used for: • Depression • High Cholesterol • High Blood Pressure • Anxiety • Acid Reflux • Prostate Enlargement • Sleeping Pills • ALL Pain Medications • Diabetic Drugs Too much exercise, too often and at too high an intensity (ESPECIALLY cardio vascular exercise) That's right ... did you know that most long-distance runners or people who do too much cardio have 70% LESS testosterone levels (and up to 220% higher cortisol levels too!) ANY kind of stress - physical and mental. Of course, this is a hard one to avoid, but not managing your stress is a big problem. Lack of sleep. Anything less than 7-8 hours of sleep DECREASES testosterone levels and INCREASES cortisol. Getting up multiple times in the middle of the night (to pee, loud noises, crying baby, etc.) all negatively effect testosterone, even if you do get 7-8 hours. Dieting - especially a decrease in carbohydrates and "healthy" fats such as fish oils and unsaturated fats.

As you can see, a LOT of every day things can suppress and lower your testosterone levels. I know it seems a bit hopeless. But, there are a few short and long-term solutions that are easy to implement that will bring you quick results.

In part 2 of this article, we discuss numerous solutions you can utilize - drugs, surgery, and natural alternatives.