July 8, 2025 • 37 mins
I have been meaning to do this podcast for months!
And although I am talking about men and testosterone, ladies please pay attention. Too many men are suffering in silence as their version of menopause (Andropause) is sneaky and subtle and often dismissed.
Testosterone isn't just about muscle or libido — it's the foundation of a man’s vitality, strength, confidence, and health. But what happens when it starts to decline… and how can men fight back?
In this cutting-edge episode of Midlife Mayhem, Joanne dives deep into the misunderstood world of male hormones, unpacking why testosterone declines with age, what “normal” actually means, and how lifestyle, labs, and even peptides are helping men take control.
If you're a man over 40 (or you care about one), this is essential listening.
🔍 In This Episode, You'll Learn:✅ Why testosterone declines with age — and how it’s not just aging ✅ What the medical world considers “normal”… and why that’s often useless ✅ The real difference between total vs. free testosterone ✅ The impact of aromatase (and why belly fat makes everything worse) ✅ How SHBG binds and blocks your testosterone — and what to do about it ✅ Subtle signs of low testosterone most men miss ✅ Top supplements to lower SHBG and aromatase naturally ✅ Why TRT might not help if you carry too much fat — and how to fix that ✅ The controversial but powerful role of peptides (Kisspeptin, HCG, BPC-157) ✅ How the right exercise strategy can increase testosterone ✅ The truth about andropause — and why it’s time we talked about it ✅ How men are reclaiming their edge with smart lifestyle upgrades and testing
🧪 Mentioned in This Episode:-
Key labs to test: Total T, Free T, SHBG, Estradiol, DHT, Hematocrit
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Supplements: Zinc, Boron, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Tongkat Ali, DIM, Ashwagandha
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Peptides: Kisspeptin-10, HCG, CJC-1295/Ipamorelin, BPC-157
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Training focus: Resistance training & HIIT over chronic cardio
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Optimization tip: Leaner body = better testosterone balance
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Apple Podcasts
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Amazon Music
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Podbean
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📧 Got questions? Email Joanne directly: @joanneleecornish
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Website: www.jlcstrong.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:10):
Hey there, listeners.
I am Joanne Lee Cornish, your Truth Bomb Dropper in the world of weight loss, body composition, and mastering the art of rocking the body you've always deserved and dreamed of in midlife and beyond.
Let's cut through the noise.
Society tells us it's downhill from now on.
We're told to embrace the middle age weight gain, embrace the muscle loss, and poor health.
(00:36):
If that's your vibe, then cool.
But if you're ready to defy the narrative, then I am your gal.
This podcast is.
A No Fluff podcast where we break down the essential truths of body composition, toss around some practical tips, and dissect the latest trends.
I'm not here to sugarcoat.
I'm here to show you what's not just possible, but down, out probable for you.
(01:02):
If you enjoy this content, be sure to click the link in the show notes to explore how we can team up and kick Medioc to the curb.
I offer one-on-one coaching my ever popular group coaching programs and my corporate Educate to Elevate program.
Okay, let's get on with the podcast.
Enjoy.
(01:26):
Hey everybody.
So I have been meaning to do this podcast for a long time.
So this one is for the guys tonight.
Today we are going to talk about andropause.
So the ladies, we have menopause and it is such a colossal disaster for the majority of women that.
(01:50):
We can't ignore it.
It is life altering.
Not many women get by unscathed.
And because of that we can tend to ignore or not see what our men are going through.
And also what's the sick joke here is there's a little bit of an age difference.
(02:13):
Women go through the circus, as I call it.
I call pre menopause the circus 'cause it's ridiculous.
And that can start from, early forties, mid forties.
I think I was 47 and it can last, five, seven.
For some ladies it last 10 years.
Personally for me it was 47 to 52.
So it was five years in that nonsense.
(02:34):
And it can be so crazy for ladies that when we get to the other side of it, so when we're maybe in our early fifties and we've gone through our gone now we're in menopause and we've gone through all that stuff and I.
It's right about then, about the age of 50, when the guys can start going through their deal their change, their andro pause.
(02:55):
But because as women we've just been through years of just utter nonsense, then what can happen is we don't see, or we don't want to see or we ignore, or we have not enough sympathy for what our guys are going through.
So it can be partners, husbands, brothers, coworkers, whatever.
But that age difference is when guys start going through their stuff.
(03:20):
The ladies like talk to their hand.
I've just gone through a whole rollercoaster.
I haven't got time for this.
And we don't, we maybe are not fully appreciative of what the guys are going through.
So what also the guys are going through is it's a lot more subtle.
So the ladies it's insane.
It's crazy what the ladies go through from the panic attacks to the sleepless nights, to the swimming in your own sweat for about, five years.
(03:45):
The anxiety, the tight, it's crazy.
So the guys, it's a little bit more subtle and even for the men themselves, they might discard it as just symptoms of aging.
Maybe their drive has dropped and motivation has dropped, ambition has dropped.
Maybe they're a bit blah, maybe they're less social.
(04:09):
They, I don't wanna go out, you just go.
That sort of thing.
Their attitude is maybe a little plain vanilla energy is dropping.
They're noticing that their muscle toner has changed.
They're not walking under the shirt up anymore because they don't like the way their chest looks.
The tissue is softer.
I'll get onto that in a minute.
And so they're getting all these changes and it's often easy to say, oh, it's age.
(04:34):
But this is andro po.
So let's talk a little bit about this.
Let's talk about, what's class as normal versus optimal and let's talk about things like aromatase sex, hormone blinding, goin peptides, TRT.
Let's do the whole thing.
So let's start with talking.
Why does testosterone drop in the first place? I.
(04:58):
Well, yes, testosterone declines with age.
That's not enough for debate.
Most men experience a slow but sneaky decline.
It's around 1% per year after the age of 30, which doesn't sound too bad, right? Except by the time a man hits 50, he might have 30 to 40% less testosterone than he did in his prime.
Now, this isn't just about libido, this is about muscle mass.
(05:20):
It's about mood.
Bone density energy drive on a health level that is both insulin sensitivity and of course longevity.
So why the drop? Why is it happening? Mitochondrial aging, I.
So the laing cells in the testes that produce testosterone get pretty sluggish.
There's also increased aromatase activities.
(05:43):
I'm gonna, there's more on that in a minute.
'cause this is a big part of it, but aromatase is the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen, especially in the belly area.
It drops because of rising SHBG.
So SHBG is sex hormone binding globulin.
It's another big part of this.
(06:04):
SHBG is the protein that binds to testosterone and makes it inactive, then adds in things like environmental toxins.
The environmental estrogens from plastics, from personal care products, even household cleaners, and don't underestimate the damage that they can do.
And then add, the extra cocktail the added stress, the sleep that gets worse, poor nutrition all the usual suspects and maybe a decline in activity.
(06:34):
So before I talk about some of those key points there, because I really wanna talk about aromatase.
And SHPG.
Let's talk about what's normal and what's optimal.
Excuse me.
Copying.
I ate a meatball and part of me just went the wrong way.
Anyway, if a guy goes to his doctor and asks for a testosterone test, he's gonna get a total testosterone reading.
(06:56):
The normal for adult men is anywhere between 301,000.
Let that sink in 300 to 1000.
That's like saying that a normal body temperature is somewhere between 95 and 104 degrees, right? It's ridiculous.
(07:16):
The range is huge.
So you'll go in with what? Testosterone of three 10 and you are in the normal range.
But here's the kicker.
Most fan, most men.
I feel pretty awful at three 50, less than three 50.
Terrible.
But they don't feel good.
At three 50.
They're feeling brain fog forgetfulness, fatigue and inability to focus low sex drive, poor recovery from exercise.
(07:45):
They're getting irritable.
And as I said in the intro, these symptoms are getting brushed off with eight about aging stress, depression.
No, it's often just simply low testosterone.
So what then are optimal levels, most high functioning men? What I mean that the guys that have got energy, strength, libido, confident, they're sitting around, 7 50, 800 up to 950.
(08:18):
With free testosterone in the upper third of that range.
So that's a big difference.
Normal range, 300 to a thousand.
Optimal.
You have seven 50 to nine 50.
Big difference.
Now I mentioned that free testosterone.
So what I'm talking about with those numbers, I'm talking about total total, I was gonna say cholesterol, total testosterone.
(08:41):
And then there is free testosterone.
So free testosterone is a portion of testosterone that is active.
It is what your body can actually use.
And this is where I want to talk about SHBG.
So SHBG is sex hormone binding globulin, and you can find it in your blood work.
(09:03):
And lady, we have it too.
Oh, SHBG.
Binds testosterone.
So think about the name of it.
Sex hormone binding globulin.
Sex hormone binding.
So this binds with testosterone, making it inactive.
So if sex hormone binding globulin is increasing with age, which it is, then more testosterone is being bound and is now inactive.
(09:31):
It can't be used by the body.
Your total testosterone might look fine, but your free testosterone can be in the gutter.
Does that make sense? So get a guy, his testosterone's declining every year, and then what's happening is more of his total cholesterol cho, total testosterone.
Is getting bound by increasing SHBG sex hormone binding globulin.
(09:58):
So more of it is bound, then less of it is free.
There is less testosterone that is active and able to be used by the body.
It's like a sick joke.
Your testosterone's already dropping.
But as it's dropping, this sex homo abiding globulin is increasing and binding with your testosterone, making even more of it bound and less of it free and available for use.
(10:27):
Add to this, let's talk about enzymes here.
So aromatase guys, anything that's got an a aromatase enzymes, enzymes.
Just make other things happen without being altered themselves.
I aromatase is the enzyme that converts testosterone into estradiol, a form of estrogen.
(10:53):
Not inherently bad.
Men need some estrogen too.
They need it for their bone health libido.
Strange one that huh.
And brain and brain function, but with age and more specifically with increased visceral fat.
So visceral fat, is that abdominal fat? It in the belly area? It's not under the skin.
(11:13):
It's actually in the abdominal cavity.
And when we have increased visceral fat, aromatase levels rise and your testosterone's gonna get hijacked and converted into estrogen.
Now, how does this show up? This is gonna show up as mood swings, increased fat storage, low libido, gynecomastia, or effectionately known as bitches.
(11:33):
And that, that softness of the chest, that the guys.
Dislike so much as they get older where they feel like that, that this tissue on their chest is almost breast like.
The guys hate that.
That can be because of aromatase.
So aromatase, again, it converts testosterone into estrogen, but this.
(11:56):
This increases with age, and it especially increases if you, if the men have fat in their midsection, if they have visceral fat, they will have more aromatase.
So if they have more belly fat, they will have more aromatase.
So more of their testosterone is getting converted into estrogen.
(12:19):
Now let's put these two together.
So now you're getting older.
And your testosterone is dropping, and maybe if some gained some weight, the, the fun food kicked in, lack of exercise, whatever stressful life, and you've got this belly fat going on the visceral fat going on.
(12:40):
So you have less testosterone.
But now more of that, that testosterone is getting converted into estrogen because you have more aromatase because you have more belly fat.
And SHBG sex hormone binding globulin is also increasing, which is binding more of your testosterone, leaving you with less testosterone, which is actually free and available for use.
(13:07):
Horrible scenario.
How is this showing up again? So again, ladies our deal is ridiculous.
The guys, it's slow, subtle, and it's often missed and dismissed.
Low testosterone can feel like you're sleeping more, but feeling less rested.
(13:29):
You can be waking up in the early hours of the morning and then going back to bed.
Like you're getting up at 1, 2, 3 o'clock and roaming the house, or maybe you go back to get bed.
Maybe you don't, the workouts aren't hitting the same.
Recovery is just sluggish.
You're cranky.
You irritable, your sparks gone.
The little things tweak you out a little bit.
Libido is fading.
(13:49):
Not overnight, but gradually.
That becomes hard work.
You're losing your morning erections.
That's a huge red flag.
Motivation dips.
Now this is troublesome.
If you are working and you know your risk taking behavior is gonna drop.
Your motivation, your drive, that can be really challenging.
For some guys that just feel like they have to just dig so much deeper to get that drive, to keep them, going for work in their careers.
(14:18):
And they put a belly fat and they can't explain it.
That fat can be going on and the training and they eating but it's that weight is still going there.
Men don't usually crash.
They tend to fade.
And it's slow.
It's slow enough that they don't always, that, they don't always chalk it up to andropause.
They think of it stress aging or life, or they're so irritable about it anyway, that they just ignore it and shrug it off.
(14:45):
So what can we do about it? So before we jump into TRT, testosterone replacement therapy.
Let's look at some supplements that can actually help with aromatase and sex hormone binding globulin.
So zinc, zinc lowers aromatase and it also supports testicular function.
But number one would be definitely zinc.
(15:07):
Boron.
Boron has been shown to reduce sex hormone binding globulin and increase free testosterone.
Vitamin D acts like a pro hormone and is crucial for testosterone production.
Magnesium is often low in men and magnesium is, gosh, if you look up the best supplements for, and fill in a blank, put anything in magnesium's in that list, right? But it's needed for hormonal balance.
(15:36):
So magnesium and magnesium is often low with men.
Dim.
So DIM is often thought as a female sub supplement because it helps the liver breakdown estrogen.
It helps metabolize the excess estrogen for the guise as well.
So that's a great one.
Ashwagandha can support adrenal health, may modestly boost testosterone, but I'm real cautious about ashwagandha.
(16:00):
I've had some close friends have horrible side effects with ashwagandha.
So I'm always ashwagandha with caution.
If you take ashwagandha and find that you can't sleep, if you take ashwagandha and get anxiety, almost paranoia get yourself off the ashwagandha.
(16:21):
Also body fat is your enemy.
This is another.
Catch 22, the guys are gonna find that they're gaining weight in the midsection, but the fact in the midsection is actually cross crushing their testosterone at the same time.
Visceral fat is the, is where aromatase is housed.
So the more visceral fat you have that abdominal fat, then the harder it's gonna be, it's going to be converting that, that convert, converting your testosterone into estrogen.
(16:48):
And indeed, if you look at guys with.
A lot of visceral fat and just look at them and you'll see that the skin's a bit puffier.
There's almost like a fe feminine aspect to it.
And then they don't pay attention to their mood, their energy, their drive.
It's, it can be quite remarkable when you know what you're looking for.
(17:09):
Now, this also brings me onto I'm gonna get onto testosterone in a second, but.
If you're just injecting yourself with testosterone, but not doing anything about visceral fat, that's gonna be a royal waste of time because if you are taking testosterone, but then the aromatase because of your visceral fat, is just gonna convert that testosterone into estrogen, that's not gonna work.
(17:30):
So you have to take care of that visceral fat.
And the good thing about visceral fat is it's very responsive to exercise, very responsible.
So let's talk about testosterone replacement therapy.
TRT.
It can be life changing.
It's not a magic shot.
Here's what some people don't tell you.
(17:51):
So again, if you've got a lot of belly fat, TRT might not really help that much.
Again, you're adding testosterone and it's just getting converted to estrogen.
You can actually make that imbalance worse.
Plus testosterone replacement therapy isn't gonna fix your poor sleep, your bad food, your zero mo movement, your chronic stress.
We have we you guys not, there's no, we here it's you.
(18:15):
The tts not gonna help if you.
If you're not, if you're not helping yourself.
So if you are not trying to prioritize your sleep, if you are not prioritizing your food, if you are, if you think you can take testosterone and not exercise and not try and get rid of that visceral fat, if you are take testosterone but you still have your, set yourself under some crazy amount of stress, you know it's not gonna be the miracle you think it's gonna be.
(18:39):
With that said if you are the guy that's dialed in your habits and you still have sub suboptimal levels, then TRT can be really great.
It can restore libido and confidence.
It can improve muscle mass, muscle tone, and insulin sensitivity.
That's a big one.
(19:00):
It can help with boost your mood and motivation, protect your bone density, reduce cardiovascular risk.
But you do have to monitor.
This is, the answer's always in the blood work and you've gotta keep an eye on your blood work.
So you, you do wanna be checking your yol levels, your SHBG, your DHT, so your DHT is.
(19:23):
The more powerful hormone.
And you also wanna work with a doctor that understands the full picture.
A doctor that understands is willing to talk to you about, what you are expecting.
And a doctor that has expectations of you.
Something else I wanted to say there, and I've forgotten.
It will come to me.
(19:44):
What else is going on? There's a few other fascinating things going on.
Peptides, my gosh, everybody's lump peptides right now, and rightly so in my book.
We're seeing a shift here.
Men and women are no longer waiting for their bodies to fall apart, right? They're getting proactive and.
(20:08):
Peptides have been around forever.
They're not new.
My thoughts on this, and I was just telling somebody this morning, I think so many people have got comfortable injecting themselves with the weight loss medication that, that's opened their eyes to a whole new world of peptides, a lot of which are injectable.
Before that, people were very adverse to sticking a needle in the belly.
(20:32):
Now people have no problem with that whatsoever.
And now they're like, wow, what else can I take? So there are some standouts.
It's controversial.
Yes.
Widely used in longevity circles.
Don't just go out and buy the things that I mention in here means do your own research.
(20:53):
But here's some standouts.
Ki Pettin 10.
So Ki Pettin 10 stimulates the hypothalamus to produce more luteinizing hormone it by stimulating to produce more luteinizing hormone that's gonna signal the test these to produce more testosterone.
So this is the, that's the kibet is going to help support your natural testosterone.
(21:17):
We then have, HCG, so HCG, do you remember the HCG diet? My gosh, I've got stories on that.
Often that's used alongside testosterone replacement therapy because HCG is used to preserve fertility and testic testicular function.
H-G-G-H-C-G is used a lot by bodybuilders, so the bodybuilders will do all the steroids for their shows, and when they come off, hopefully they come off.
(21:45):
And they'll use thing, you'll, they'll use something like HCG to actually restart their own testicular function.
There is the ever popular BPC 1 5 7.
Now B PC 1 5 7.
Just ordered some today.
That's more about healing and recovery.
But it indirectly supports testosterone by reducing inflammation.
(22:08):
Inflammation will also crush testosterone.
I'd also say that one of the reasons that men's testosterone does decline and for some guys so rapidly is because of inflammation.
We'll talk a bit wrong about that in a second.
And then we have the CJC 1295 and epi.
(22:31):
These increase growth hormone.
So increasing growth hormone that's gonna synergize with testosterone for fat loss recovery, anti-aging.
If you increase growth hormone, it's, it can increase in terms of body composition, increase your ability to hold onto or gain muscle.
And that in, in a low insulin state it will help with fat loss.
(22:52):
So when it comes to growth hormone and.
Cjc 1295 and Aplin, that actually increased growth hormone.
Both good for muscle preservation and fat loss depending on your insulin state.
If you're in a high insulin state all the time.
(23:12):
If you're, if you are insulin resistant in a high insulin state, then growth hormone's going to, it's gonna help you gain muscle, but it's probably gonna make you fat as well.
If you're in a low insulin state, then it's going to be great for fat loss.
Also, recovery, anti-aging, I.
It goes without saying, these are not legal over the counter supplements.
But there are plenty of health professionals that are doing whole protocols with these peptides.
(23:37):
And for some people, maybe this is where they wanna start.
Maybe they wanna start with, the, because pet, the H cg, BPC 1, 5 7 CJC and Lin maybe they don't wanna do that.
Or maybe they wanna take these peptides to support their testosterone replacement therapy.
The standouts for me on that would be the BPC 1 57, because it can really crush.
(24:04):
I.
Inflammation.
And BPC 1 57 stands for Body Protective Compounds.
So it was originally u used primarily for people to heal their gut, people that had gut issues, the people with IBS and things like that.
Body protective compound, it's made in the gut.
So if you do take it, you'll, you might notice incredible healing.
(24:25):
And you might notice that your digestion's never been better.
So I love BPC 1 57 for inflammation, but again, you've gotta do your part.
You can't just shoot yourself up with BPC 1 57.
You have to be living, an anti-inflammatory lifestyle as well.
And that comes from, I feel like I talk about this all the time, but this is when we've gotta get a bit of processed food.
(24:48):
Your processed food is irritating.
The gut lining.
Leaky gut.
Leaky gut equals an immune response.
Immune response equals inflammation.
No.
Avoiding that.
What about exercise? Exercise is still can there's no peptide supplement or TIT that's going to replace not moving your body.
(25:11):
The best training for with, for testosterone resistance training.
It is the single most effective way to increase natural testosterone, and especially the big lifts.
So the big compound movements, the squats, the dead lifts, the presses, I was just saying to somebody today, lift big, heavy things safely and often and, life will be better.
(25:40):
So yeah the single most is resistance training.
You can absolutely increase your natural testosterone.
Big, heavy, safe.
Often.
Over-training, however, is not gonna help you.
If you are over training, you're overzealous.
If your nutrition's terrible or you're not getting enough sleep, that is going to crush your testosterone.
(26:02):
So you're not gonna, you're two hours sleep and you're living on, flat white or something like that.
That workout's not really gonna help.
We need to prioritize rest.
You need to prioritize.
I keep saying we, this is about you guys.
You need to prioritize rest and proper nutrition.
We have to be eating the real foods.
(26:23):
Obviously adequate protein, blah.
So it's getting that balance intensity recovery, consistency supported by good nutrition and sleep seems pretty obvious, right? But also the short burst of high intensity interval training.
So this also increased testosterone.
(26:45):
So when we compare HIIT training, high intensity interval training to.
I dunno.
Chronic cardio, think long distance running.
Big difference here when it comes to testosterone, the hit will elevate, it can increase testosterone, but the long distance running, when we're doing a lot of that, that can actually decrease your testosterone.
(27:10):
And what do I mean by high intensity interval training? So short bursts of high intensity.
So that can be sprints literally.
Sitting here, my workout clothes literally just did them.
It can be sprints, it can be the assault bike.
Gosh, we have an assault bike in our gym.
It is crazy.
If you've never gotten the assault bike, please do yourself a favor.
(27:34):
It can be plyometrics, it can be so Jump rope.
It can be, so many things.
It can be boxing, but taking your heart rate as high as you can.
For a short amount of time, and then about two or three to one ratio of an active recovery.
But, excuse me but say you're doing again, not to say you're doing HIIT training, real proper HIIT training.
(27:58):
Not like interval training.
Ooh, I took the incline up in the treadmill.
Proper interval training, eh, high intensity training.
Say you're doing that a couple of times a week and getting, four workouts in big.
Compound movements, that's gonna help a lot if supported by the nutrition and high quality food and sleep.
(28:19):
So yes.
Myself included.
We talk endlessly about menopause.
I.
Polls.
It's crickets, right? I'd say probably 85% of the aging conversation is about women.
Women and honestly, rightfully because it's an absolute disaster.
But that is changing.
I'm seeing more and more men, and more and more men are asking me what they can do because they realize that they're feeling tired.
(28:45):
The boy is soft, low, moody flat, unmotivated.
And this isn't just aging.
This is a hormone issue.
And unlike menopause, andropause is slow, which makes it easier to ignore.
When it is slow and subtle.
It just kinds of creeps up on you and you just subtly change.
(29:11):
Compared to menopause, where a woman can go from perfectly sane to an absolute psych cycle in a matter of five seconds flat.
But today men are, you've gotta test for your hormones regularly.
So not just testosterone pay, pay attention to your free testosterone.
I definitely look for your S-H-B-G-S-S-H-B-G.
(29:34):
Sex hormone binding problems, it's in your blood work.
And also look for your estradiol.
I think too few guys actually look for their estrogen because they're just looking at their testosterone.
But you do want to see what that is.
Is SHB going.
SHBG going up? Is estradiol going up? Is your free testosterone coming down? Is your total cholesterol looking okay? But your free testosterone is coming down? Is less of your testosterone actually active and available to be used? Closing thoughts.
(30:13):
Closing thoughts? I'm going.
My closing thoughts are going to the ladies here.
Look at your guys, help your guys and here, partners, brothers, coworkers over the age of 50.
Are they struggling? I think and some of my readings, I think the most the worst thing I read about andropause is that men can feel sad.
(30:36):
And I think that's possibly the worst adjective I can think of this sad.
I'll go with angry, irritable, moody, but sad.
That makes me sad.
I don't want any male in my life to feel sad and I would hope that I would notice.
So just pay attention to the guys in your life, ladies.
(30:56):
Have you noticed different, is it subtle? Are you, is it frustrating to you, but.
Is there more to that? Have we been paying so much attention to ourself and our crazy beers that we're ignoring what's going on to with the men in our lives? So the testosterone, it's not just about sex drive and muscle, it's about vitality.
(31:18):
It's about resilience and agency.
So whether you're exploring testosterone replacement therapy maybe that's not a conversation you're ready for, but this might explain how to adjust your training, improving your sleep, maybe experimenting with some of these peptides.
Remember this isn't about turning back time.
(31:39):
We, we are still the age that we are, but it's about optimizing our years and.
And understanding that I think that we have been led to believe that after a certain age, it's downhill from now on and life's just gonna get worse.
And that's just part of it.
We're you're gonna feel worse, you're gonna look worse.
And that's just part of it.
(32:00):
And we're asked to accept that and normalize that.
And yet we know that's a lie.
We know it's a lie because we all know that one person that's maybe older than us and they are vibrant and energetic and they're happy and they're living a full life.
That's a lie.
'cause there's other people and maybe you think I'm just as smart as them.
(32:22):
I'm just as good as them.
Why are they living that life? And I'm not.
It.
So this whole number and we are all aging, we are all getting over, but it's optimizing our age and the resistance I'll get, and this is just my opinion now, the resistance I sometimes hear and I don't contradict it 'cause that's these people's opinion.
(32:48):
I just wanna age gracefully.
I just wanna, I don't wanna do anything.
I just wanna age, age naturally.
It's okay, I get it.
Yeah.
I always, I feel like things like TRT for men, the HRT for women, this is not cheating, aging, this isn't taking a shortcut.
It is optimizing where you are.
But again, you've gotta, if you're gonna be taking that route, we have to be, have a level of personal responsibility and, doing the work that we can do.
(33:16):
It's about, midlife and beyond with more strength, clarity, and confidence and happiness.
So let's start, let's just stop normalizing the decline and let's start celebrating the opportunities to optimize.
So for the guys, the Andrew, pause again.
(33:38):
It starts around 50 sometimes later than that, and it's very subtle.
So watch out for you guys.
And guys, if this is you, then please don't sit back and just accept it.
Please go to the doctor.
Please do your blood work.
But don't just look for the regular testosterone and, look for your estradiol, look for your sex hormone binding globulin.
(34:01):
Look for your free testosterone and then do your blood work.
I would say twice a year if you're not even in this age cut year, maybe even your thirties and forties, start now.
Now it's great to have a baseline so you know what your hormones are now, so you know, when they decline.
(34:21):
So many guys I've.
Literally could think of two in the last month that went for the first time, check their testosterone and one guy is two 90 and the other guy is three 50 the first time checking their hormones and they're already that low.
(34:43):
Might be a good idea to catch you before it gets to that point.
So that's Andrew, pause.
That's the kickers of sex hormone binding globulin and aromatase, both of which increase with age one binds to your testosterone to make less of it available.
The other converter into estrogen.
(35:04):
The weight in the midway mid body fat is gonna crush your testosterone.
Crush it.
So the first thing to do is.
Attack that.
And again, like I said, visceral fat is very responsive to exercise.
It's not like ladies with the fat hips where it could be a nightmare and the visceral fat, it will come off.
(35:27):
It will.
And also when you do your blood work, check your inflammation markers.
So check your CRP C-reactive protein check your IL 16 interleukin six because inflammation will also crush your testosterone.
(35:55):
I do hope you enjoyed this episode of Midlife Mayhem.
Be sure to subscribe and be sure to tell your friends about this wonderful podcast.
If you would like more of me than on social, it's simple.
Just my name at Joanne Lee Cornish.
Also my website, the shrink shop.com,
(36:15):
where you can see all my coaching programs.
There are many ways we can work together.
Obviously I do private one-on-one coaching.
I do the, all my programs are in a self-study form and all my programs are run as a live program at least once a year.
I try and do twice, but it usually ends up being once I have, mindset program.
(36:38):
I have my awesome five JP creek shred that people love.
I have the signature weight loss program.
I have Type 28, which is advanced weight loss.
I have muscle mastery, and I have midlife mastering midlife.
So six programs that offer a progression to fully understand body composition through the ages.
(36:58):
If you have questions, if you're wondering how I can help you, then simply shoot me an email.
At Joe j@theshrinkshock.com,
tell me what's going on and I'll get back to you and let you know the way I can help.
Okay, that's it for now.
Hey there, listeners.
I am Joanne Lee Cornish, your Truth Bomb Dropper in the world of weight loss, body composition, and mastering the art of rocking the body you've always deserved and dreamed of in midlife and beyond.
Let's cut through the noise.
Society tells us it's downhill from now on.
We're told to embrace the middle age weight gain, embrace the muscle loss, and poor health.
(00:36):
If that's your vibe, then cool.
But if you're ready to defy the narrative, then I am your gal.
This podcast is.
A No Fluff podcast where we break down the essential truths of body composition, toss around some practical tips, and dissect the latest trends.
I'm not here to sugarcoat.
I'm here to show you what's not just possible, but down, out probable for you.
(01:02):
If you enjoy this content, be sure to click the link in the show notes to explore how we can team up and kick Medioc to the curb.
I offer one-on-one coaching my ever popular group coaching programs and my corporate Educate to Elevate program.
Okay, let's get on with the podcast.
Enjoy.
(01:26):
Hey everybody.
So I have been meaning to do this podcast for a long time.
So this one is for the guys tonight.
Today we are going to talk about andropause.
So the ladies, we have menopause and it is such a colossal disaster for the majority of women that.
(01:50):
We can't ignore it.
It is life altering.
Not many women get by unscathed.
And because of that we can tend to ignore or not see what our men are going through.
And also what's the sick joke here is there's a little bit of an age difference.
(02:13):
Women go through the circus, as I call it.
I call pre menopause the circus 'cause it's ridiculous.
And that can start from, early forties, mid forties.
I think I was 47 and it can last, five, seven.
For some ladies it last 10 years.
Personally for me it was 47 to 52.
So it was five years in that nonsense.
(02:34):
And it can be so crazy for ladies that when we get to the other side of it, so when we're maybe in our early fifties and we've gone through our gone now we're in menopause and we've gone through all that stuff and I.
It's right about then, about the age of 50, when the guys can start going through their deal their change, their andro pause.
(02:55):
But because as women we've just been through years of just utter nonsense, then what can happen is we don't see, or we don't want to see or we ignore, or we have not enough sympathy for what our guys are going through.
So it can be partners, husbands, brothers, coworkers, whatever.
But that age difference is when guys start going through their stuff.
(03:20):
The ladies like talk to their hand.
I've just gone through a whole rollercoaster.
I haven't got time for this.
And we don't, we maybe are not fully appreciative of what the guys are going through.
So what also the guys are going through is it's a lot more subtle.
So the ladies it's insane.
It's crazy what the ladies go through from the panic attacks to the sleepless nights, to the swimming in your own sweat for about, five years.
(03:45):
The anxiety, the tight, it's crazy.
So the guys, it's a little bit more subtle and even for the men themselves, they might discard it as just symptoms of aging.
Maybe their drive has dropped and motivation has dropped, ambition has dropped.
Maybe they're a bit blah, maybe they're less social.
(04:09):
They, I don't wanna go out, you just go.
That sort of thing.
Their attitude is maybe a little plain vanilla energy is dropping.
They're noticing that their muscle toner has changed.
They're not walking under the shirt up anymore because they don't like the way their chest looks.
The tissue is softer.
I'll get onto that in a minute.
And so they're getting all these changes and it's often easy to say, oh, it's age.
(04:34):
But this is andro po.
So let's talk a little bit about this.
Let's talk about, what's class as normal versus optimal and let's talk about things like aromatase sex, hormone blinding, goin peptides, TRT.
Let's do the whole thing.
So let's start with talking.
Why does testosterone drop in the first place? I.
(04:58):
Well, yes, testosterone declines with age.
That's not enough for debate.
Most men experience a slow but sneaky decline.
It's around 1% per year after the age of 30, which doesn't sound too bad, right? Except by the time a man hits 50, he might have 30 to 40% less testosterone than he did in his prime.
Now, this isn't just about libido, this is about muscle mass.
(05:20):
It's about mood.
Bone density energy drive on a health level that is both insulin sensitivity and of course longevity.
So why the drop? Why is it happening? Mitochondrial aging, I.
So the laing cells in the testes that produce testosterone get pretty sluggish.
There's also increased aromatase activities.
(05:43):
I'm gonna, there's more on that in a minute.
'cause this is a big part of it, but aromatase is the enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen, especially in the belly area.
It drops because of rising SHBG.
So SHBG is sex hormone binding globulin.
It's another big part of this.
(06:04):
SHBG is the protein that binds to testosterone and makes it inactive, then adds in things like environmental toxins.
The environmental estrogens from plastics, from personal care products, even household cleaners, and don't underestimate the damage that they can do.
And then add, the extra cocktail the added stress, the sleep that gets worse, poor nutrition all the usual suspects and maybe a decline in activity.
(06:34):
So before I talk about some of those key points there, because I really wanna talk about aromatase.
And SHPG.
Let's talk about what's normal and what's optimal.
Excuse me.
Copying.
I ate a meatball and part of me just went the wrong way.
Anyway, if a guy goes to his doctor and asks for a testosterone test, he's gonna get a total testosterone reading.
(06:56):
The normal for adult men is anywhere between 301,000.
Let that sink in 300 to 1000.
That's like saying that a normal body temperature is somewhere between 95 and 104 degrees, right? It's ridiculous.
(07:16):
The range is huge.
So you'll go in with what? Testosterone of three 10 and you are in the normal range.
But here's the kicker.
Most fan, most men.
I feel pretty awful at three 50, less than three 50.
Terrible.
But they don't feel good.
At three 50.
They're feeling brain fog forgetfulness, fatigue and inability to focus low sex drive, poor recovery from exercise.
(07:45):
They're getting irritable.
And as I said in the intro, these symptoms are getting brushed off with eight about aging stress, depression.
No, it's often just simply low testosterone.
So what then are optimal levels, most high functioning men? What I mean that the guys that have got energy, strength, libido, confident, they're sitting around, 7 50, 800 up to 950.
(08:18):
With free testosterone in the upper third of that range.
So that's a big difference.
Normal range, 300 to a thousand.
Optimal.
You have seven 50 to nine 50.
Big difference.
Now I mentioned that free testosterone.
So what I'm talking about with those numbers, I'm talking about total total, I was gonna say cholesterol, total testosterone.
(08:41):
And then there is free testosterone.
So free testosterone is a portion of testosterone that is active.
It is what your body can actually use.
And this is where I want to talk about SHBG.
So SHBG is sex hormone binding globulin, and you can find it in your blood work.
(09:03):
And lady, we have it too.
Oh, SHBG.
Binds testosterone.
So think about the name of it.
Sex hormone binding globulin.
Sex hormone binding.
So this binds with testosterone, making it inactive.
So if sex hormone binding globulin is increasing with age, which it is, then more testosterone is being bound and is now inactive.
(09:31):
It can't be used by the body.
Your total testosterone might look fine, but your free testosterone can be in the gutter.
Does that make sense? So get a guy, his testosterone's declining every year, and then what's happening is more of his total cholesterol cho, total testosterone.
Is getting bound by increasing SHBG sex hormone binding globulin.
(09:58):
So more of it is bound, then less of it is free.
There is less testosterone that is active and able to be used by the body.
It's like a sick joke.
Your testosterone's already dropping.
But as it's dropping, this sex homo abiding globulin is increasing and binding with your testosterone, making even more of it bound and less of it free and available for use.
(10:27):
Add to this, let's talk about enzymes here.
So aromatase guys, anything that's got an a aromatase enzymes, enzymes.
Just make other things happen without being altered themselves.
I aromatase is the enzyme that converts testosterone into estradiol, a form of estrogen.
(10:53):
Not inherently bad.
Men need some estrogen too.
They need it for their bone health libido.
Strange one that huh.
And brain and brain function, but with age and more specifically with increased visceral fat.
So visceral fat, is that abdominal fat? It in the belly area? It's not under the skin.
(11:13):
It's actually in the abdominal cavity.
And when we have increased visceral fat, aromatase levels rise and your testosterone's gonna get hijacked and converted into estrogen.
Now, how does this show up? This is gonna show up as mood swings, increased fat storage, low libido, gynecomastia, or effectionately known as bitches.
(11:33):
And that, that softness of the chest, that the guys.
Dislike so much as they get older where they feel like that, that this tissue on their chest is almost breast like.
The guys hate that.
That can be because of aromatase.
So aromatase, again, it converts testosterone into estrogen, but this.
(11:56):
This increases with age, and it especially increases if you, if the men have fat in their midsection, if they have visceral fat, they will have more aromatase.
So if they have more belly fat, they will have more aromatase.
So more of their testosterone is getting converted into estrogen.
(12:19):
Now let's put these two together.
So now you're getting older.
And your testosterone is dropping, and maybe if some gained some weight, the, the fun food kicked in, lack of exercise, whatever stressful life, and you've got this belly fat going on the visceral fat going on.
(12:40):
So you have less testosterone.
But now more of that, that testosterone is getting converted into estrogen because you have more aromatase because you have more belly fat.
And SHBG sex hormone binding globulin is also increasing, which is binding more of your testosterone, leaving you with less testosterone, which is actually free and available for use.
(13:07):
Horrible scenario.
How is this showing up again? So again, ladies our deal is ridiculous.
The guys, it's slow, subtle, and it's often missed and dismissed.
Low testosterone can feel like you're sleeping more, but feeling less rested.
(13:29):
You can be waking up in the early hours of the morning and then going back to bed.
Like you're getting up at 1, 2, 3 o'clock and roaming the house, or maybe you go back to get bed.
Maybe you don't, the workouts aren't hitting the same.
Recovery is just sluggish.
You're cranky.
You irritable, your sparks gone.
The little things tweak you out a little bit.
Libido is fading.
(13:49):
Not overnight, but gradually.
That becomes hard work.
You're losing your morning erections.
That's a huge red flag.
Motivation dips.
Now this is troublesome.
If you are working and you know your risk taking behavior is gonna drop.
Your motivation, your drive, that can be really challenging.
For some guys that just feel like they have to just dig so much deeper to get that drive, to keep them, going for work in their careers.
(14:18):
And they put a belly fat and they can't explain it.
That fat can be going on and the training and they eating but it's that weight is still going there.
Men don't usually crash.
They tend to fade.
And it's slow.
It's slow enough that they don't always, that, they don't always chalk it up to andropause.
They think of it stress aging or life, or they're so irritable about it anyway, that they just ignore it and shrug it off.
(14:45):
So what can we do about it? So before we jump into TRT, testosterone replacement therapy.
Let's look at some supplements that can actually help with aromatase and sex hormone binding globulin.
So zinc, zinc lowers aromatase and it also supports testicular function.
But number one would be definitely zinc.
(15:07):
Boron.
Boron has been shown to reduce sex hormone binding globulin and increase free testosterone.
Vitamin D acts like a pro hormone and is crucial for testosterone production.
Magnesium is often low in men and magnesium is, gosh, if you look up the best supplements for, and fill in a blank, put anything in magnesium's in that list, right? But it's needed for hormonal balance.
(15:36):
So magnesium and magnesium is often low with men.
Dim.
So DIM is often thought as a female sub supplement because it helps the liver breakdown estrogen.
It helps metabolize the excess estrogen for the guise as well.
So that's a great one.
Ashwagandha can support adrenal health, may modestly boost testosterone, but I'm real cautious about ashwagandha.
(16:00):
I've had some close friends have horrible side effects with ashwagandha.
So I'm always ashwagandha with caution.
If you take ashwagandha and find that you can't sleep, if you take ashwagandha and get anxiety, almost paranoia get yourself off the ashwagandha.
(16:21):
Also body fat is your enemy.
This is another.
Catch 22, the guys are gonna find that they're gaining weight in the midsection, but the fact in the midsection is actually cross crushing their testosterone at the same time.
Visceral fat is the, is where aromatase is housed.
So the more visceral fat you have that abdominal fat, then the harder it's gonna be, it's going to be converting that, that convert, converting your testosterone into estrogen.
(16:48):
And indeed, if you look at guys with.
A lot of visceral fat and just look at them and you'll see that the skin's a bit puffier.
There's almost like a fe feminine aspect to it.
And then they don't pay attention to their mood, their energy, their drive.
It's, it can be quite remarkable when you know what you're looking for.
(17:09):
Now, this also brings me onto I'm gonna get onto testosterone in a second, but.
If you're just injecting yourself with testosterone, but not doing anything about visceral fat, that's gonna be a royal waste of time because if you are taking testosterone, but then the aromatase because of your visceral fat, is just gonna convert that testosterone into estrogen, that's not gonna work.
(17:30):
So you have to take care of that visceral fat.
And the good thing about visceral fat is it's very responsive to exercise, very responsible.
So let's talk about testosterone replacement therapy.
TRT.
It can be life changing.
It's not a magic shot.
Here's what some people don't tell you.
(17:51):
So again, if you've got a lot of belly fat, TRT might not really help that much.
Again, you're adding testosterone and it's just getting converted to estrogen.
You can actually make that imbalance worse.
Plus testosterone replacement therapy isn't gonna fix your poor sleep, your bad food, your zero mo movement, your chronic stress.
We have we you guys not, there's no, we here it's you.
(18:15):
The tts not gonna help if you.
If you're not, if you're not helping yourself.
So if you are not trying to prioritize your sleep, if you are not prioritizing your food, if you are, if you think you can take testosterone and not exercise and not try and get rid of that visceral fat, if you are take testosterone but you still have your, set yourself under some crazy amount of stress, you know it's not gonna be the miracle you think it's gonna be.
(18:39):
With that said if you are the guy that's dialed in your habits and you still have sub suboptimal levels, then TRT can be really great.
It can restore libido and confidence.
It can improve muscle mass, muscle tone, and insulin sensitivity.
That's a big one.
(19:00):
It can help with boost your mood and motivation, protect your bone density, reduce cardiovascular risk.
But you do have to monitor.
This is, the answer's always in the blood work and you've gotta keep an eye on your blood work.
So you, you do wanna be checking your yol levels, your SHBG, your DHT, so your DHT is.
(19:23):
The more powerful hormone.
And you also wanna work with a doctor that understands the full picture.
A doctor that understands is willing to talk to you about, what you are expecting.
And a doctor that has expectations of you.
Something else I wanted to say there, and I've forgotten.
It will come to me.
(19:44):
What else is going on? There's a few other fascinating things going on.
Peptides, my gosh, everybody's lump peptides right now, and rightly so in my book.
We're seeing a shift here.
Men and women are no longer waiting for their bodies to fall apart, right? They're getting proactive and.
(20:08):
Peptides have been around forever.
They're not new.
My thoughts on this, and I was just telling somebody this morning, I think so many people have got comfortable injecting themselves with the weight loss medication that, that's opened their eyes to a whole new world of peptides, a lot of which are injectable.
Before that, people were very adverse to sticking a needle in the belly.
(20:32):
Now people have no problem with that whatsoever.
And now they're like, wow, what else can I take? So there are some standouts.
It's controversial.
Yes.
Widely used in longevity circles.
Don't just go out and buy the things that I mention in here means do your own research.
(20:53):
But here's some standouts.
Ki Pettin 10.
So Ki Pettin 10 stimulates the hypothalamus to produce more luteinizing hormone it by stimulating to produce more luteinizing hormone that's gonna signal the test these to produce more testosterone.
So this is the, that's the kibet is going to help support your natural testosterone.
(21:17):
We then have, HCG, so HCG, do you remember the HCG diet? My gosh, I've got stories on that.
Often that's used alongside testosterone replacement therapy because HCG is used to preserve fertility and testic testicular function.
H-G-G-H-C-G is used a lot by bodybuilders, so the bodybuilders will do all the steroids for their shows, and when they come off, hopefully they come off.
(21:45):
And they'll use thing, you'll, they'll use something like HCG to actually restart their own testicular function.
There is the ever popular BPC 1 5 7.
Now B PC 1 5 7.
Just ordered some today.
That's more about healing and recovery.
But it indirectly supports testosterone by reducing inflammation.
(22:08):
Inflammation will also crush testosterone.
I'd also say that one of the reasons that men's testosterone does decline and for some guys so rapidly is because of inflammation.
We'll talk a bit wrong about that in a second.
And then we have the CJC 1295 and epi.
(22:31):
These increase growth hormone.
So increasing growth hormone that's gonna synergize with testosterone for fat loss recovery, anti-aging.
If you increase growth hormone, it's, it can increase in terms of body composition, increase your ability to hold onto or gain muscle.
And that in, in a low insulin state it will help with fat loss.
(22:52):
So when it comes to growth hormone and.
Cjc 1295 and Aplin, that actually increased growth hormone.
Both good for muscle preservation and fat loss depending on your insulin state.
If you're in a high insulin state all the time.
(23:12):
If you're, if you are insulin resistant in a high insulin state, then growth hormone's going to, it's gonna help you gain muscle, but it's probably gonna make you fat as well.
If you're in a low insulin state, then it's going to be great for fat loss.
Also, recovery, anti-aging, I.
It goes without saying, these are not legal over the counter supplements.
But there are plenty of health professionals that are doing whole protocols with these peptides.
(23:37):
And for some people, maybe this is where they wanna start.
Maybe they wanna start with, the, because pet, the H cg, BPC 1, 5 7 CJC and Lin maybe they don't wanna do that.
Or maybe they wanna take these peptides to support their testosterone replacement therapy.
The standouts for me on that would be the BPC 1 57, because it can really crush.
(24:04):
I.
Inflammation.
And BPC 1 57 stands for Body Protective Compounds.
So it was originally u used primarily for people to heal their gut, people that had gut issues, the people with IBS and things like that.
Body protective compound, it's made in the gut.
So if you do take it, you'll, you might notice incredible healing.
(24:25):
And you might notice that your digestion's never been better.
So I love BPC 1 57 for inflammation, but again, you've gotta do your part.
You can't just shoot yourself up with BPC 1 57.
You have to be living, an anti-inflammatory lifestyle as well.
And that comes from, I feel like I talk about this all the time, but this is when we've gotta get a bit of processed food.
(24:48):
Your processed food is irritating.
The gut lining.
Leaky gut.
Leaky gut equals an immune response.
Immune response equals inflammation.
No.
Avoiding that.
What about exercise? Exercise is still can there's no peptide supplement or TIT that's going to replace not moving your body.
(25:11):
The best training for with, for testosterone resistance training.
It is the single most effective way to increase natural testosterone, and especially the big lifts.
So the big compound movements, the squats, the dead lifts, the presses, I was just saying to somebody today, lift big, heavy things safely and often and, life will be better.
(25:40):
So yeah the single most is resistance training.
You can absolutely increase your natural testosterone.
Big, heavy, safe.
Often.
Over-training, however, is not gonna help you.
If you are over training, you're overzealous.
If your nutrition's terrible or you're not getting enough sleep, that is going to crush your testosterone.
(26:02):
So you're not gonna, you're two hours sleep and you're living on, flat white or something like that.
That workout's not really gonna help.
We need to prioritize rest.
You need to prioritize.
I keep saying we, this is about you guys.
You need to prioritize rest and proper nutrition.
We have to be eating the real foods.
(26:23):
Obviously adequate protein, blah.
So it's getting that balance intensity recovery, consistency supported by good nutrition and sleep seems pretty obvious, right? But also the short burst of high intensity interval training.
So this also increased testosterone.
(26:45):
So when we compare HIIT training, high intensity interval training to.
I dunno.
Chronic cardio, think long distance running.
Big difference here when it comes to testosterone, the hit will elevate, it can increase testosterone, but the long distance running, when we're doing a lot of that, that can actually decrease your testosterone.
(27:10):
And what do I mean by high intensity interval training? So short bursts of high intensity.
So that can be sprints literally.
Sitting here, my workout clothes literally just did them.
It can be sprints, it can be the assault bike.
Gosh, we have an assault bike in our gym.
It is crazy.
If you've never gotten the assault bike, please do yourself a favor.
(27:34):
It can be plyometrics, it can be so Jump rope.
It can be, so many things.
It can be boxing, but taking your heart rate as high as you can.
For a short amount of time, and then about two or three to one ratio of an active recovery.
But, excuse me but say you're doing again, not to say you're doing HIIT training, real proper HIIT training.
(27:58):
Not like interval training.
Ooh, I took the incline up in the treadmill.
Proper interval training, eh, high intensity training.
Say you're doing that a couple of times a week and getting, four workouts in big.
Compound movements, that's gonna help a lot if supported by the nutrition and high quality food and sleep.
(28:19):
So yes.
Myself included.
We talk endlessly about menopause.
I.
Polls.
It's crickets, right? I'd say probably 85% of the aging conversation is about women.
Women and honestly, rightfully because it's an absolute disaster.
But that is changing.
I'm seeing more and more men, and more and more men are asking me what they can do because they realize that they're feeling tired.
(28:45):
The boy is soft, low, moody flat, unmotivated.
And this isn't just aging.
This is a hormone issue.
And unlike menopause, andropause is slow, which makes it easier to ignore.
When it is slow and subtle.
It just kinds of creeps up on you and you just subtly change.
(29:11):
Compared to menopause, where a woman can go from perfectly sane to an absolute psych cycle in a matter of five seconds flat.
But today men are, you've gotta test for your hormones regularly.
So not just testosterone pay, pay attention to your free testosterone.
I definitely look for your S-H-B-G-S-S-H-B-G.
(29:34):
Sex hormone binding problems, it's in your blood work.
And also look for your estradiol.
I think too few guys actually look for their estrogen because they're just looking at their testosterone.
But you do want to see what that is.
Is SHB going.
SHBG going up? Is estradiol going up? Is your free testosterone coming down? Is your total cholesterol looking okay? But your free testosterone is coming down? Is less of your testosterone actually active and available to be used? Closing thoughts.
(30:13):
Closing thoughts? I'm going.
My closing thoughts are going to the ladies here.
Look at your guys, help your guys and here, partners, brothers, coworkers over the age of 50.
Are they struggling? I think and some of my readings, I think the most the worst thing I read about andropause is that men can feel sad.
(30:36):
And I think that's possibly the worst adjective I can think of this sad.
I'll go with angry, irritable, moody, but sad.
That makes me sad.
I don't want any male in my life to feel sad and I would hope that I would notice.
So just pay attention to the guys in your life, ladies.
(30:56):
Have you noticed different, is it subtle? Are you, is it frustrating to you, but.
Is there more to that? Have we been paying so much attention to ourself and our crazy beers that we're ignoring what's going on to with the men in our lives? So the testosterone, it's not just about sex drive and muscle, it's about vitality.
(31:18):
It's about resilience and agency.
So whether you're exploring testosterone replacement therapy maybe that's not a conversation you're ready for, but this might explain how to adjust your training, improving your sleep, maybe experimenting with some of these peptides.
Remember this isn't about turning back time.
(31:39):
We, we are still the age that we are, but it's about optimizing our years and.
And understanding that I think that we have been led to believe that after a certain age, it's downhill from now on and life's just gonna get worse.
And that's just part of it.
We're you're gonna feel worse, you're gonna look worse.
And that's just part of it.
(32:00):
And we're asked to accept that and normalize that.
And yet we know that's a lie.
We know it's a lie because we all know that one person that's maybe older than us and they are vibrant and energetic and they're happy and they're living a full life.
That's a lie.
'cause there's other people and maybe you think I'm just as smart as them.
(32:22):
I'm just as good as them.
Why are they living that life? And I'm not.
It.
So this whole number and we are all aging, we are all getting over, but it's optimizing our age and the resistance I'll get, and this is just my opinion now, the resistance I sometimes hear and I don't contradict it 'cause that's these people's opinion.
(32:48):
I just wanna age gracefully.
I just wanna, I don't wanna do anything.
I just wanna age, age naturally.
It's okay, I get it.
Yeah.
I always, I feel like things like TRT for men, the HRT for women, this is not cheating, aging, this isn't taking a shortcut.
It is optimizing where you are.
But again, you've gotta, if you're gonna be taking that route, we have to be, have a level of personal responsibility and, doing the work that we can do.
(33:16):
It's about, midlife and beyond with more strength, clarity, and confidence and happiness.
So let's start, let's just stop normalizing the decline and let's start celebrating the opportunities to optimize.
So for the guys, the Andrew, pause again.
(33:38):
It starts around 50 sometimes later than that, and it's very subtle.
So watch out for you guys.
And guys, if this is you, then please don't sit back and just accept it.
Please go to the doctor.
Please do your blood work.
But don't just look for the regular testosterone and, look for your estradiol, look for your sex hormone binding globulin.
(34:01):
Look for your free testosterone and then do your blood work.
I would say twice a year if you're not even in this age cut year, maybe even your thirties and forties, start now.
Now it's great to have a baseline so you know what your hormones are now, so you know, when they decline.
(34:21):
So many guys I've.
Literally could think of two in the last month that went for the first time, check their testosterone and one guy is two 90 and the other guy is three 50 the first time checking their hormones and they're already that low.
(34:43):
Might be a good idea to catch you before it gets to that point.
So that's Andrew, pause.
That's the kickers of sex hormone binding globulin and aromatase, both of which increase with age one binds to your testosterone to make less of it available.
The other converter into estrogen.
(35:04):
The weight in the midway mid body fat is gonna crush your testosterone.
Crush it.
So the first thing to do is.
Attack that.
And again, like I said, visceral fat is very responsive to exercise.
It's not like ladies with the fat hips where it could be a nightmare and the visceral fat, it will come off.
(35:27):
It will.
And also when you do your blood work, check your inflammation markers.
So check your CRP C-reactive protein check your IL 16 interleukin six because inflammation will also crush your testosterone.
(35:55):
I do hope you enjoyed this episode of Midlife Mayhem.
Be sure to subscribe and be sure to tell your friends about this wonderful podcast.
If you would like more of me than on social, it's simple.
Just my name at Joanne Lee Cornish.
Also my website, the shrink shop.com,
(36:15):
where you can see all my coaching programs.
There are many ways we can work together.
Obviously I do private one-on-one coaching.
I do the, all my programs are in a self-study form and all my programs are run as a live program at least once a year.
I try and do twice, but it usually ends up being once I have, mindset program.
(36:38):
I have my awesome five JP creek shred that people love.
I have the signature weight loss program.
I have Type 28, which is advanced weight loss.
I have muscle mastery, and I have midlife mastering midlife.
So six programs that offer a progression to fully understand body composition through the ages.
(36:58):
If you have questions, if you're wondering how I can help you, then simply shoot me an email.
At Joe j@theshrinkshock.com,
tell me what's going on and I'll get back to you and let you know the way I can help.
Okay, that's it for now.
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